GUINNESS
WORLD
RECORDS BY KAY BOATNER
WHAT,
LIKE IT’S
HARD?
ZAMA MOFOKENG
PRACTICES HIS
HANDSPRINGS
IN TEMBISA,
SOUTH AFRICA.
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©
2
02
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IM
IT
ED
.
MAY 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS (^5)
BACK
FLIPS!
O
N
E
HAN
DED
BIRD
Did somebody say “yikes”?
The cassowary, a bird native
to Australia, Indonesia, and
New Guinea, is the world’s most dangerous bird.
The six-foot-tall flightless creature can kill a human
with blows from its dagger-like claws. Luckily, it only
attacks when it’s cornered or looking for food. Still,
it’s probably best not to mess with cassowaries!
Not many people can perform multiple
back handsprings. But this man can com-
plete 36 of them—using just one hand.
Zama Mofokeng holds the record for most
consecutive back handsprings on one hand.
He also holds records for back handsprings
with alternating hands and interlocked
hands. Makes sense—Mofokeng’s been
practicing gymnastics since he was 10
years old.
EXTRA-LARG
E
Some water lilies look delicate—but not these jumbo
plants. With pads measuring up to 10 feet wide, giant
water lilies hold the record for the largest water lily.
(There are some 70 species of these plants.) They’re so
massive, a 10-year-old kid could sit comfortably on one!
Underwater stalks extending up to 30 feet long hold
these flowering plants in place.
LILY
PADS
BEWAR
E
A WORKER TENDS TO
THE GIANT WATER
LILIES AT THE ROYAL
BOTANIC GARDENS IN
LONDON, ENGLAND.
OF