National Geographic Explorer (Student Magazine)

Want to sound like a real explorer? Try some new words from our online glossary.

> > Frogs
> > Mars
> > Tigers
> > Baseball
> > Sea Monsters

> > Complete Archive

Hot Spots
Earth has 1,500 active volcanoes. That's a lot of hot property! Learn why volcanoes erupt and how they shape Earth's surface.

Photo: Brad Lewis, Getty


	ANIMAL ATHLETES What would happen if animals held their own Olympic Games this summer? Cheetahs, kangaroos, and seals would likely win gold medals. Yet animals actually compete for a grander prize—survival. Tune in to a truly wild competition on page 4 of our May 2004 issue. Explore More >> National Geographic: Animals and Nature You'll find photos of cool critters, news about animals, a conservation atlas, and more. >> National Geographic: Creature Feature From bats to warthogs—get photos, videos, sounds, and plenty of fun facts. >> BBC: Amazing Animals This A-to-Z guide includes some of the world's most fascinating creatures. >> Smithsonian: National Zoo Webcams Take a virtual field trip to the zoo—including a peek at the famous pandas. Lion Photo: Digital Stock


	WRITE ON! Ancient people drew on cave walls. Medieval monks copied books by hand. Modern kids create new slang for e-mail and chat rooms. These actions—plus many more—have helped people share ideas and information. Explore the past, present, and future of writing on page 18 of our May 2004 issue. Explore More >> British Museum: Ancient Egypt Read all about writing in ancient Egypt. Learn how the famous Rosetta stone helped scholars crack the code of Egyptian hieroglyphs. >> The Cave at Lascaux Visit the site of some of the world's most famous cave drawings. >> Write Like a Babylonian See how your initials would look in cuneiform, one of the first forms of writing. >> Write Like an Egyptian Write your name in hieroglyphs, the picture symbols used in ancient Egypt. Writing Photo: Benjamin Brecelj, Corbis


	SERIOUS FUN Just like humans, elephants use body language to communicate. Scientist Joyce Poole has created a dictionary of facial expressions, gestures, and other movements. Learn how elephants communicate on page 22 of our May 2004 issue. Explore More >> NG News: Decoding the "Language" of Elephants Learn more about scientist Joyce Poole and her research. >> Elephant Voices Find out what Joyce Poole and her team have learned about how, when, and why elephants communicate. >> NG Game: The Lost Elephant Young and curious, Jack wandered away from his mother. Help her find him by answering each wild question correctly. >> NG Creature Feature: African Elephants Browse elephant-related maps, videos, fun facts, and more. >> Living With Elephants Foundation This group works to improve relationships between people and elephants in the African nation of Botswana. >> PBS: The Elephants of Africa Learn about trunks, poaching, and other elephant topics. Elephant Photo: J. Poole and P. Granli, Elephant Voices