Wednesday, 9 June, 2021
Australia’s first titanosaur; China’s wandering elephants; tennis champ Dylan Alcott does it again; and settle in for State of Origin!
LINKS
Cooper the titanosaur https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-07/qld-australias-largest-dinosaur-discovered-eromanga-outback/100196458
China’s wandering elephants https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/08/chinas-herd-of-wandering-elephants-takes-a-rest-after-500km-trek
Addo-Carr’s running race https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/the-origin-eve-sprint-race-brad-fittler-couldn-t-bear-to-watch-20210608-p57z1t.html
Donald Duck’s cartoon debut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5dowCyaP7I
QUESTIONS FOR SQUIZ KIDS in MELBOURNE – ‘My Lockdown Life’
Remember to answer in full sentences, with lots of good details!
1) What was the best part and the worst part of your lockdown day today?
2) What do you miss the most about school? Why?
3) How are your parents coping in lockdown? And what about your brothers, sisters and grandparents?
4) What’s the one thing you think we should all do to beat this coronavirus once and for all?
5) Close your eyes and imagine the one place you’d rather be right now instead of in lockdown … where is it?
What To Do:
Get a big person in your house to sit down and record the questions and your answers on a smart device (a phone or tablet, for example). Try to do it somewhere quiet! And remember to make sure when you speak, you’re nice and close to the microphone! Then email the audio file to [email protected] – and listen all this week to see if you’ve been featured!
Squiz Kids Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squizkids/?hl=en
Got a birthday coming up and you want a shout-out? Send us an email at [email protected]
Squiz Kids is proudly supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
Australia has its very own titanosaur – with the news yesterday that dinosaur bones found in outback Queensland xx years ago belong to a never-before-seen member of the titanosaur family – the Australotitan cooperensis.
Now, because that’s a really long and complicated scientific name, and because the remains of this dinosaur – which walked the Earth 95 million years ago – were found near Coopers Creek in Queensland, he’s also known as Cooper. Which is what we’ll call him.
When Cooper was alive, he measured the same length as a basketball court and stood about the same height as a semi-trailer truck. So, you know, pretty big.
It’s thought to have been the biggest animal to ever walk the outback – and it’s the first time a dinosaur belonging to the titanosaur family has been found in Australia. Previously, their remains were only ever found in South America. We have our very own titanosaur! How cool is that?
Outback Queensland now is a pretty dry place – just ask the many Squiz Kids who live there and tune in every day. But 95 million years ago, it was a lush, rainforest – and dinosaurs like Cooper would have roamed about grazing on the greenery.
Cooper was a herbivore – which means he only ate plants, and not meat. But it’s thought that there may have been even bigger dinosaurs that preyed on Cooper and his kind. Which is to say, there might be evidence under the sun-baked earth of outback Queensland of a larger, meat-eating dinosaur … doesn’t it just make you want to go and become a paleontologist – who is someone who pieces together fossils for a living?
There’s a link in today’s episode notes to cool photos and video of Cooper.
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Just quickly in other news … Melbourne is on-track to lift restrictions at midnight tomorrow night, according to Victorian Premier, James Merlino – provided there are no sudden spikes in COVID case numbers … and if you found yourself adding an extra layer of clothing this morning, or cranking the heater up – that’s because the polar blast is upon us … with large swathes of southern Australia experiencing freezing temperatures .. Snow was expected to fall on the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney – and there’s even the tantalising prospect of southern Queensland getting a light dusting of snow … that noise you hear? It’s my teeth chattering.
SPIN THE GLOBE
Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story wherever it stops .. and today we’ve landed in China .. where a herd of wandering elephants have captivated the country.
Yesterday there were photos of the elephant herd – including two baby elephants, also known as calves – having a well-earned lie down in a forest outside the Chinese city of Kungmin, after having been on a cross-country trek that’s taken more than 15 months and covered more than 500 kilometres.
The herd of wild Asian elephants have been social media stars in China since they started their long walk – even though no one has a clue where they are headed or why they are on such an epic walk. A team of park rangers are monitoring the elephants every move – and doing their best to keep the elephants away from towns and cities. The herd is believed to have already caused a million dollars worth of damage as they trample their way across the countryside.
And yes: of course, there’s a link to photos of the pachyderms – which is the scientific name for elephants – in today’s episode notes.
SPORTS TIME
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For some people, 13 is an unlucky number. But not for Aussie tennis ace, Dylan Alcott, who yesterday claimed his third French Open title and took to 13 the number of tennis grand slams he has won. Is there no stopping him?
Dylan won the men’s quad wheelchair singles final at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris yesterday for the third time in a row – beating his long-time rival, Dutchman Sam Schroder, 6-4, 6-2. What an effort!
Using his best schoolboy French, Dylan declared: “J’adore Roland Garros baby!’ .. which translates to ‘I love Roland Garros, baby’
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And in other sporting news … all eyes will be on Townsville tonight as the city hosts its very first State of Origin match. It’s a footy mad part of the country, home of the Cowboys and JT – where Maroon is worn as far as the eye can see. But even so, when Blues winger Josh Addo Carr, and his Indigenous team-mate Latrell Mitchell paid a visit to Cowboys House in Townsville yesterday to meet some of the 100 Indigenous kids who live and go to school there – they were still welcomed as heroes. Even when Addo-Carr – one of the fastest men in the game – beat the kids in a running race. Check out the video in today’s episode notes.
My Lockdown Life
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Who doesn’t love a birthday? Cake, presents, delicious dinners with family, parties with friends… but what if your birthday is during lockdown? Well, there are plenty of kids in Melbourne experiencing that this week. As you probably know by now, we’re producing a special segment called My Lockdown Life and have asked the kids of Melbourne five questions, including what’s the best and worst part of their day, and what they miss most about school. Today we have a sneak peek of our full episode, which will air on Friday, from two of those birthday kids…
KIDS AUDIO
Happy birthday for yesterday, Eloise, and happy 7th birthday today, Hamish! Here’s hoping all your footy dreams come true soon.
Don’t forget if you’re in Melbourne and you want to share your Lockdown Life – simply record yourself answering the five questions in today’s episode notes and send the audio file to [email protected]. And be listening all week to see if you’ve been featured …
THE S’QUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- The remains of what sort of dinosaur have been found in outback Queensland?
- A herd of what animal is in the middle of a great big trek across China?
- Name the Aussie tennis ace who won his third straight French Open?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s June 9 … State of Origin day … of course … and it’s also National Donald Duck Day in the United States … what else? The Disney favourite made his cartoon debut on this day in 1934 .. so how about that? And as a treat I’ve stuck a link to the cartoon in today’s episode notes .. let’s put it this way: it’s no Pixar film – and animation has come a loooong way.
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today… Travis from Fadden, Sophie from Aberfoyle Park, Emily from North Nowra, Pippa from Kempsey, Matilda from Buninyong, Freya from Eltham, and Hamish from Nunawading.
And some belated birthday shoutouts to … Lachie from Moorabbin, Eloise from Kirrawee, Finn from North Kellyville and Gemma from Bondi.
Classroom shoutouts…All the Year 4 students at Good Shepherd Primary School in Canberra, Mrs Thornton and Mrs Wheatley’s Year 3 class at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Greystanes, class 3GK from Morningside State School, and Mrs Stewart and class 5/6cs at Como West Public School
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Titanosaur
- Elephant
- Dylan Alcott