The humpback whale is huge. She is longer than a school bus and weighs 35 tons, but she preys on some of the smallest inhabitants of the sea world—tiny shrimp-like creatures that aren’t much bigger than a piece of popcorn called krill. To feed, she opens her mouth wide, taking in hundreds of gallons of water in a single gulp. A humpback whale has no teeth. Instead, attached to its upper jaw are rows of long, thin fingernail-like material called baleen. Each piece of baleen is about three feet long and has bristles at its end that act like a strainer. When the whale takes in a mouthful of water, it forces the water out through the baleen with its tongue, trapping thousands of tiny krill inside its mouth. Humpback whales eat A LOT of krill – up to 4,400 pounds per meal!

Aztec children went to one of two different kinds of schools. One kind was for the sons and daughters of nobility, or wealthy people high up in society. There, children learned to read, write, and do math. They learned to play musical instruments. Some children studied to be priests. They learned the secret language of the priesthood, how to predict eclipses and comets, and how to keep track of the days on the sacred calendar. Other children learned how to work with silver and how to carve wood and stone. The priests were strict with the children at these schools, giving harsh punishments if a child broke a rule. Children of common people went to a different kind of school. The priests were less strict with these children, and they allowed the children to go home sometimes. In both kinds of schools, children learned about religion and war. They learned songs, poems, and dances to honor their gods. They memorized stories of the gods and how they ruled the earth.

Wetlands are important for many reasons. Not only do they serve as resting places for migrating birds, but they are also breeding grounds for many different types of animals. Wetlands also absorb excess water during storms, helping to prevent flooding. The plants of wetlands help to absorb toxins and improve water quality.

Dr. Knapp doesn’t want people to sit back and let the toad vanish. He believes that everyone is responsible for restoring the toad species. Dr. Knapp thinks we could help restore the toad population if we stop mowing parts of our lawns and let the grass grow wild to reserve space for the toad. He also believes we need to stop using pesticides and fertilizers. The chemicals kill the insects that toads eat. If we preserve some spaces in our lawns and stop using fertilizers, Dr. Knapp believes we can save the toads.

Do you like to play in waves at the beach? If so, you know that some waves are big, and some are small. But there are waves that are bigger than any you might see on a regular day at the beach. These waves are called tsunamis. What causes tsunamis? They are not regular ocean waves. A tsunami is a huge wave that is caused by an earthquake at sea. When an earthquake causes the sea floor to rise or drop, water is displaced. This makes a wave that can travel for many miles in the ocean. As the water becomes shallow close to the land, the wave becomes huge.

Tsunamis can have terrible effects. The great wave of water crashes upon the coast with huge force. This force can knock over buildings, tear down forests, and even destroy entire towns and villages. Tsunamis can be deadly and kill many people.

Traffic issues exist because of the increased number of motor vehicles in use for daily commutes. As a result, metropolitan areas must consider options to dissuade drivers from using their own transportation. To this end, one way to encourage drivers to leave their cars at home would be to raise the cost of parking near office buildings and companies. Although some people can’t afford those higher rates, it should be noted that they will consider other options for transportation. Furthermore, cities should offer affordable park and ride facilities, allowing drivers to car pool from a distance or consider mass transit.

Icebergs—giant blocks of ice that float in the sea—come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are deep blue or green. Some look like floating sculptures. Old icebergs that have been worn down by the weather sometimes look like pillars of ice. Usually, only about one-fifth of an iceberg appears above the surface of the water. The other four-fifths of the “berg” is hidden underwater, out of sight. Sometimes, an iceberg has what is called a “foot,” an extension completely underwater. These are especially dangerous for ships. It was an iceberg “foot” that sank the Titanic in 1912, killing 1,503 people.

There are two popular sports played at Ericson, basketball and volleyball. Both take place inside of the gym at Ericson. Also, each sport has two teams of people. In basketball, however, the ball can be played off of the floor, and in volleyball, the ball cannot touch the floor or it is out of play. Basketball and volleyball are popular sports at Ericson.

Daniel Sullivan was the first to notice the flames coming from the O’Leary barn at around 8:30 pm on October 8. A problem with the alarm box made it impossible for the people in the area to call for the fire department. By 9:30 pm, the entire block was blazing. In another 3 hours, there were fires all over Chicago. The heavy wind coming from the lake only made the fire bigger. It would be another day before the fire would be completely out. By that time, 17,500 buildings had been burned.