Newt Nemesis (8 page)

Josh allowed himself to sigh with relief. It was all over. Then they began their dance.

After a few moments, everyone started gasping and staring. Mouths fell open and cameras dropped unheeded into laps.

Josh had fallen over and was sluggishly crawling across the tepee floor, waving his hands about in front of him in a wobbly way. He had no coordination at all. He guessed it was a S.W.I.T.C.H. aftereffect.

But that wasn't what the audience—and now most of the caveman dancers—were gasping and staring at. No. That would be Danny and Charlie, merrily leaping up and down and hitting their heads against the top of the tent pole every time . . .

“How can you do that?” yelled Drill Sergeant. “It's got to be ten feet high!”

“Erm . . .” said Petty. “It's just the country air. It puts a spring in their step . . .”

abdomen:
the main part of an animal's body

allergy:
a condition that some people have that makes their bodies react badly to things they eat or drink or touch or breathe in

amphibian:
an animal that can live on land and in water

antidote:
a medicine that can reverse the effects of a poison

bulbous:
fat, round, or bulging

cellular:
something made from a group of living cells

EpiPen:
a medical device used to treat allergic reactions

hijack:
to take control of something by force

incisors:
sharp-edged front teeth

mammals:
animals that give birth to live young and feed them with their own milk

molars:
the wide teeth at the back of the jaw—used for chewing

predator:
an animal that hunts other animals

prey:
an animal that is hunted by another animal

proboscis:
the long, sucking nose of an insect

reptiles:
cold-blooded animals. Lizards and snakes are reptiles.

serum:
fluid used in science and for medical purposes

tepee:
a cone-shaped tent, often made of canvas or animal skin

toxin:
a poisonous substance

venom:
poison that can be squirted from the fangs of an animal to kill or stun its prey. Some snakes are venomous.

Want to brush up on your reptile and amphibian knowledge? Here's a list of books dedicated to slithering and hopping creatures.

Johnson, Jinny.
Animal Planet™ Wild World: An Encyclopedia of Animals
. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, 2013.

McCarthy, Colin.
Reptile
. DK Eyewitness Books. New York: DK Publishing, 2012.

Parker, Steve.
Pond & River
. DK Eyewitness Books. New York: DK Publishing, 2011.

Find out more about nature and wildlife using the websites below.

http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals

Curious to learn more about some of the coolest-looking reptiles and amphibians? This website has lots of information and stunning pictures of some of Earth's most interesting creatures.

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/

Go to this website to watch videos and read facts about your favorite reptiles and amphibians.

http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/amphibians-reptiles-and-fish.aspx

Want some tips to help you look for wildlife in your own neighborhood? Learn how to identify some slimy creatures and some scaly ones as well.

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Ali Sparkes grew up in the woods of Hampshire, England. Well—not in the sense that she was raised by foxes after being abandoned as a baby—she had parents, OK? Human parents. But they used to let her run wild in the woods. But not wild as in “grunting and covered in mud and eating raw hedgehog.” Anyway. During her fun days in the woods, she once took home a muddy frog in a bucket, planning to clean it up nicely and keep it as a pet. But her mom made her take it back. The frog agreed with her mom.

Ali now lives in Southampton with her husband and two teenage sons and a very small garden pond, which has never yet attracted any frog spawn or even half a newt. Ali is trying not to take this personally.