jblog

Hey Guys!

I just returned from the Calgary Zoo where I was helping Zoo vet, Doug Whiteside, solve a stingray mystery. On Sunday morning when the zookeepers came to work they noticed the most peculiar thing: twenty-six of the zoo’s cownose stingrays were dead! Eight more died on Monday. Up until that point, the stingrays had appeared to be completely healthy. The vets were stumped. That’s when they called me in to do some medical investigating.

So I’ve spent the last couple days testing the water while we moved all the other stingrays to a new tank. We’re still waiting for the test results, but my guess is that the water may have been contaminated by household chemicals. Once we find out for sure what it was that killed the rays, we’ll have to do some more investigating to determine how the water was contaminated in the first place.

What we know already is that prior to Sunday morning the rays had appeared to be completely healthy. Quickly, their skin changed from its normal light-grey colour to having large dark grey and yellow spots. Since they died so quickly, we don’t think that the stingrays died of any disease (which is what led us to do tests on the water in their tank). Up until now the rays were being kept in an interactive exhibit in which people could come and touch them. The water may have been contaminated while people visited and touched the rays, but there had to have been a significant amount of contamination because the tank is always kept clean and it’s so big.

I really thought that I would be able to solve this mystery on my own, but I’m afraid I may need some help. Do you think you could help me crack the case of the cownose stingrays in Calgary?

Juanita

Got a solution to the stingray mystery? Email our mystery blogger at juanita@kidsworld-online.com with your best guess!

Hey guys! When kidsworld asked me to be their online blogger for their new website, I was super excited! I’m a big fan of learning – some people might call me a facts addict! A blog is a great place for me to share all the cool things I’m learning with kidsworld readers like you every week.

For example, did you know that 2008 is the Chinese, or lunar Year of the Rat? And just in time, scientists discovered a giant rodent fossil in South America – a supersized ancestor of the modern mouse! You can read more about it in kidsworld magazine.

If you’re more into going green, you’ll be extra-into some other stuff I’ve been up to lately – talking to some awesome kids about their quest to make their schools and families eco-friendly. Be sure to check out the special rainforest section in kidsworld magazine, and stay tuned for lots of kid-friendly eco-tips, projects, and stories on kidsworld online. I know I will!

Well that’s it for me…but what about you? I can’t wait to hear back from you about all the cool things you’re doing in your schools and neighbourhoods. Who knows – maybe you could appear in kidsworld online too!

Juanita who? Get in touch with our mystery blogger and stay tuned – Juanita might just write back! Email her at juanita@kidsworld-online.com with your best guess.