AAI.'s African Buffalo Has Baby!

Annabelle the African Buffalo has just had her new calf, Cassie! Continue reading to learn all about what it's like to be a buffalo, straight from the buffalo's mouth!

The birth of any animal can cause much excitement here at Animal Adventures Inc. (AAI.). I mean, just check out what happened when the hadrosaurs had their baby. There were balloons, confetti, birthday cake and other things literally everywhere! Seriously, someone decided that my desk would make a great place to store the birthday cake until the party. I don't know why they couldn't put it in the fridge! I mean, whoever did that was extremely uncreative . . . oh, Daniel P. Smithwater just informed me that I did that because I was the one who was supposed to be decorating it, but Rack-coon ended up doing it because I was in a business overload.

Anywho, I'm getting off topic here! The latest animal birth is a baby African Buffalo named Cassie, just last Thursday. When her mother, Annabelle had finished with the labor process and the young one was on her feet, the AAI. veterinarian Elizabeth Sorkin called us to say that we could have our exclusive interview with Annabelle. So naturally, my trusty, junior photographer, Daniel P. Smithwater, and I went over to the Animal Adventures Institute in a flash.

Now before I go on, there is something I must explain: Annabelle and Cassie aren't water buffaloes. Though related, Water buffaloes are native to Asia, and I think we already know where African Cape Buffaloes are found. Cape Buffaloes are also slightly larger than their Asian cousins. Cape Buffaloes are also cousins of the American Bison, which is incorrectly referred to as a buffalo.

Annabelle was more than happy to talk about her newborn. When asked why she named her Cassie, Annabelle was quoted for saying, “Oh I'm not sure. She just sort of looks like a Cassie, doesn't she to you? She looks just like her mama did at her age – big brown eyes, stubby horns, wet muzzle . . . well actually, she's completely wet! And she's got the same brown fur I did too.” Daniel and I noticed Cassie's striking dis-resemblance to her mother. So this is when I asked if Cassie's features were normal for African Buffalo. “Yes, they are,” says Annabelle.

She went on to explain that buffalo mothers have a gestation period lasting 11.5 months. Once born, the calves born in the wild are hidden in dense foliage for several weeks. During this time, the mother buffalo visits her young one to feed it milk every so often. “It may seem cruel,” Annabelle said, “[but]. . . the calf actually has a higher chance of surviving when its hiding in the foliage at that age. We mothers can't spend too much time with our young in the wild because we don't want our scent attaching to the baby – that will attract predators.”

Finally, the calf is old enough to join the herd – the calf stays in the center of the herd for protection against predators. Then I asked Annabelle what predators would hunt buffalo. She said, “Well, we have a lot of predators in the wild. Cheetahs, leopards and spotted hyenas try to kill calves. But they are too small to take on adult buffalo. No, that role belongs to predators like lions and crocodiles.”

I could tell that it was probably almost Cassie's bedtime, as every newborn needs a lot of sleep! So just before we left, we asked Cassie how she liked her new home and stuff like that. “Bubble!” she responded. OK, so maybe her vocabulary isn't the best at this age, but when she grows up, she'll be – 3.3-5.6 feet tall at the shoulders and 5.6-11.2 feet long – an awe-inspiring African mammal!

Written by: Mr. Smiley

Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater

Edited by: Christian Ryan, Joy Hammond

*Advertisement*

We here at Smiley’s News, I have been working night and day to get articles ready. I could really use some help! So we are looking for people interested in writing (especially kids and teens). If you are interested, PLEASE(!) send an email to animaladventures@aol.com and save me from working night and day! I’m exhausted!

Weekly Cartoons

Next Issue: Lizzy and the Riddler pt. 4

Rerun Article: Fueling the Future

Ever wanted a car that actually runs on thin air? Well, your dreams have come true thanks to the work of Dr. James Crowferd!

Note from Author: Hi, this is Mr. Smiley. We've written a lot of articles here at Smiley's News and since Earth Day is coming up, I decided that I'd rerun an older article for you readers to enjoy. Hope you like it!

You know it, as a matter of fact, we all know it: the plain and simple truth is gas prices are going up, up, up. And income for many of us is just going down, down, down. Gas prices just aren’t helping the situation. Well, Dr. James Crowferd of Vassar College, USA might be an answer to your prayers! He has just made an astounding discovery: how to make a car run on almost nothing but air. You read the last word right: AIR! The same oxygen we breathe in and out every single day. How does the car, nicknamed the “Airway”, run on air anyway? Well, first in order to get it to go, Dr. James decided to get rid of another problem many of us have: trash build-up. First, all that the car needs to start is some trash from that trash can you have sitting around (you can kiss the garbage truck goodbye!). Simply put the trash in the same place gas would normally go and then you’re off! After the car is running, air rushes into the front of the car through a hole. The air rushing into the hole causes little windmills inside the car to turn and the air comes bursting out the back. “I invented this car because I have a vision – a clear, almost new-looking earth with cleaner air and water,” says Dr. James. When I asked him about the price of the car, he winced and said, “Well, I’m not really in this for the money, but the prices at first are going to be a little high – around $300,000,000, at least until they catch on. Then I plan to lower the price to around $50,000. And if that works out, even lower.” So when this new cars start to catch on, perhaps being “green” with our cars will be a breeze.

Written by: Mr. Smiley

Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater

Edited by: Christian Ryan and Joy Hammond

Weekly Cartoons

Next Issue: AAI.'s African Buffalo Has Baby!

Fossilized Palm Fronds Discovered in Jerusalem

This is what the palm fronds found by Dr. Samuel Adamson and his team were like before they were fossilized. Continue reading to learn more about the discovery.

OK, our latest story doesn't exactly take place in Riverville, but since it stills concerns a resident of Animal Adventures Inc., I decided I should bring it up to my readers anyway. Just last Tuesday, our resident paleontologist Dr. Samuel “Sam” Adamson and his wife Dr. Indiana Adamson were with their fossil hunting team in the Middle East where a recent dinosaur discovery took place. While the discovery of dinosaurs in the Middle East was exciting for the pair, their next discovery would totally take them by surprise. Their group was making a brief stop in Jerusalem when they came across a surprising discovery in their hotel's basement – fossilized palm fronds! You can bet my trusty, junior photographer, Daniel P. Smithwater and I were at Animal Adventures Institute in a flash to interview the Adamson's.

“I went into the basement to help one of my team members bring some extra chairs to our room,” says Dr. Samuel (it wasn't one of those hotels with room service), “but when I was about to lift a chair, I noticed some peculiar stone slabs stacked up in the corner of the room. . . that's when I realized that I'd stumbled on an amazing discovery.” He drew his teammates attention and the two of them began studying the stone slabs and realized that some of them possessed what looked like fossilized palm fronds, while the others were palm frond imprints. The two men got curious and questioned the hotel's manager. He told them that they had been collected by some local teenagers looking for extra cash. The manager figured they might be worth keeping, so he bought them.

After learning about the palm fronds value, Dr. Samuel was able to buy all of the stone slabs to have them more thoroughly and learned some more about where they were found and to their origin. The team of paleontologists finally located where the slabs were found – the slabs were found on a Jerusalem street. Since there were never enough palm trees along the street to produce this many palm fronds, this made the scientists think that they were brought here and laid upon the street. This is when they recalled a certain section of Bible scripture: Luke 19:29-44. In this part of his book, Luke records a time when Jesus Christ rode into the streets of Jerusalem on a colt. Many of the city's residents praised Jesus and sang “Blessed is the King Who comes in the Name of the Lord! Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!” They also laid palm fronds on the ground as He walked to Harold his arrival into the city. It wasn't much later when many of these same Jews wanted Jesus crucified on a cross.

“Now understand, we're not archaeologists,” says Dr. Indiana. “We're paleontologists, those are scientists who study ancient animals. Archeology is the study of ancient humans. Those are the scientists that would normally study things like this. Of course, without any archaeologists on our team, it was up to us to get clues from the scene.” Indiana explained that if these are the palms were indeed from Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem, then something must have happened to quickly cover them up in order for them to fossilize. “We believe it rained and mud covered up the palm fronds. We know these palm fronds couldn't have been exposed for too long, because otherwise they would have rotted extremely quickly.”

After they'd retrieved all the information from the site they needed, the scientists took their stone slabs, notes and supplies back to the U.S. to be studied by real archaeologists at the Riverville Museum of Natural History. They found that the paleontologists were correct that these palm fronds were probably from Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem. Other then the location of their discovery, a major clue is the age of the palm fronds: they're around 2,000 years old – that's about the time Jesus walked the earth!

“This brings up two things to my mind,” says Dr. Samuel. “The first thing is that it doesn't take millions of years for objects to fossilize, contrary to popular belief. They just have to be buried quickly and/or be in the right conditions. This isn't the first time something has fossilized in a short length of time – hats, hams and water wells are objects that have been known to fossilize in less than 100 years!”

Indiana was especially glad to be part of this amazing find, as she's quoted for saying, “I'm just glad I could take part in the discovery and investigation of the fossilized palm fronds. It also really brings to life what was really going on during the last days of Jesus' life on earth. People were praising and glorifying Him as He strode into Jerusalem on a donkey, but all too soon, Jesus was arrested for crimes He never committed. Many of the Jews who had praised Him and laid palm fronds at His feet were probably some of the same Jews who wanted Him dead. This amazing discovery also reminds me of the price Jesus paid for us to have eternal life. He was beaten, spat on and whipped. And as if that wasn't enough, He was led along a road – Dela Rosa, also known as “The Road of Suffering” – carrying His own cross. He was crucified on that cross to take our penalty for our sins, but three days later – on Easter – He rose again! That's what I think makes this discovery so thrilling for me personally.”

Written by: Mr. Smiley

Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater

Edited by: Christian Ryan

Weekly Cartoons

Next Issue:Unknown

AAI.'s Hodge Podge Garage Sale

Mrs. Corythosaurus and her daughter Morgan decide what they should sell at AAI.'s garage sale while Mr. Parasaurolophus packs up items in the background.

If you think your room can get messy, well, you haven't seen messy until you've seen the kinds of messes some of the residents at Animal Adventures Inc. (AAI.) can make! Check out my co-writer Lizzy the Lizard's apartment when it gets messy! Sometimes the residents' (animals and humans alike) apartments can get very cluttered with stuff. The reason being? Frankly AAI. doesn't have the kind of places where residents can drop off unused or unwanted items so they sort of add up after a while. Sure, they often trade with one another and give things away, but it still doesn't solve the problem.

This is when AAI.'s first ever Hodge Podge Garage Sale comes into play! To find out more, my trusty, junior photographer, Daniel P. Smithwater and I went to AAI.'s founder, president and the the brains behind the idea, Nigel Milligan. Nigel's quoted for saying, “After a while, everyone just needs to get rid of stuff. I for one need to clean out my basement. I was looking down there the other day for some files I needed and I found them inside a pizza box dated 2012! As if that's not bad enough, there was actually pizza inside . . . can't say it would taste very good to me, but Rack-Coon, our head chef, doesn't seem to think it tastes that bad. But that's because raccoons are often known for climbing into dumpsters to retrieve food. Fortunately, he doesn't use what he finds in the trash to make other people's dishes when he's cooking.”

The Garage Sale is going to take place on April 12^th, 2014 right on AAI. property in front across from Mary's Mall. Even though it isn't until next week, many animals and humans are already preparing for the event; they're gathering things they plan to give away. The local hadrosaur (or duck-billed dinosaur) family – consisting of Para the Parasaurolophus, his wife Graciela the Corythosaurus and Morgan their daughter – is one great example. We had the opportunity to get an exclusive interview with the family. “I know it's almost a week away,” says Cory as she packs some stuff into some boxes, “but this is really a big event for us hadrosaurs! We hardly ever have the chance to clear out stuff like this. I hope . . . [I'll] finally be able to get rid of this bed set that I got for my birthday. I really like it, but it's really made for a human being to lie on, hon. This little thing isn't going to support my two-ton weight. Add my 2.5-ton husband to that and you've got a broken bed frame. Better give it to someone who can use it.” Morgan is also excited about the possibility of getting rid of some things. “To tell you the truth,” Morgan whispers, “my Mom's a bit of a packrat, so any opportunity we get to give away stuff we need to take. For the past several years she's been holding onto her the first pot she ever cooked with. Seriously! The whole thing's pretty warn because I'm pretty sure it's cheaply made.” At that moment, Morgan tried to slip the pot into a box of things to give away when a loud foghorn-like noise from the kitchen alerts us to the fact that Morgan's been busted in the act. “Morgan! How many times do I have to tell you?” she exclaims. “I can't get rid of the first pot I ever cooked in! Tell ya what hon, put that back on the kitchen counter.” Morgan looked at me and said, “See what I mean?”

Animals aren't the only creatures hoping to give away unwanted stuff. Dr. Steve Stevenson at AAI.'s Animal Adventures Institute and his assistant Oliver Oviraptor are also boxing up stuff to give away at the garage sale. Dr. Steve is quoted for saying, “Some of the equipment in my lab is old but still works. I'd love to use it, but I simply can't because my system's too new for some of the equipment to handle and they don't work together well. I have some scientist buddies who live nearby who would be most happy to use this stuff. They've got older laboratory systems that will work with the old equipment just fine.” That's not the only equipment that's going to be given away: Oliver Oviraptor says that they have loads and loads and loads of plastic eggs in their storage center, so many that they aren't quite sure what to do with them all. “We use plastic eggs to inject dinosaur embryos into that will grow to be too large to fit grow comfortably inside the egg off a living species of animal. These plastic eggs are specially designed to function almost like real eggs and they really come in handy when we're cloning sauropods. Sauropods laid some of the largest eggs ever to be laid on the planet! Some sauropods hatch out of eggs the size of soccer or footballs! Unfortunately, now we have too many eggs and not enough dinosaurs to hatch. So when Dr. Steve invites some of his scientist friends to the garage sale, we'll give tons of them away. That's a fact!”

Nigel believes that the garage sale was a great idea and many more AAI. residents than the ones we interviewed will be participating. “With well over 700 animals and less than a hundred humans,” Nigel says, “I believe we'll have a huge turnout . . . hopefully Rack-Coon can prepare enough food . . .”

Written by: Mr. Smiley

Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater

Edited by: Christian Ryan, Joy Hammond

*Advertisement*

We here at Smiley’s News, I have been working night and day to get articles ready. I could really use some help! So we are looking for people interested in writing (especially kids and teens). If you are interested, PLEASE(!) send an email to animaladventures@aol.com and save me from working night and day! I’m exhausted!

Weekly Cartoons

Next Issue: Fossilized Palm Fronds Discovered in Jerusalem