CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: WORLD WILD WEB OFFERS VIRTUAL OPENING OF DISNEY'S NEW THEME PARK (COLUMN 85)

If you're a Disney fan, this is the big week. The fourth park, Animal Kingdom, opens Wednesday. If you didn't buy your ticket yet, don't worry. You can join the virtual grand opening online.

In addition to Disney's world of animals, the Internet is teaming with wildlife sites that are both fun and informational.

Joni: I'm a Disney nut and always have been. I love Disney, and in fact, we're planning a trip to the park this summer. I'm sure we will try to go to the Animal Kingdom while we're there.

Peggy: We won't be heading to Disney parks this summer, but we can join in online Wednesday. The first-ever theme park virtual grand opening. It begins at 7 a.m. our time. Find it at

www.animalkingdom.com

Joni: Before the grand opening, Disney recommends you make preparations. Bookmark the page. Register at Disney.com for the chats. Download RealPlayer 5.0, and then watch the preview video.

Peggy: On Wednesday, you can chat with artists and imagineers behind the scenes at the theme park. And on that day only, you can get a free commemorative Disney Animal Kingdom screen saver at the site.

Joni: You can also send electronic e-mail to your friends. They are called Ani-Mails, but you have to register to use them.

Peggy: You can also view video tours of the park and take a look behind the scenes that day.

Joni: To watch the videos, they give you a choice of modem speeds. That's nice, but the slowest is 28.8. Sorry, Peggy. It will still be slowgoing on your 14.4 modem.

Peggy: I know. We just have to get a faster modem at home. You also need RealPlayer 5.0. We picked the free version. You also need to download the video clips. Be prepared. The clip runs 1 minute and 25 seconds.

Joni: We registered for the chats and bookmarked the page. We have completed all our tasks, and we're ready to come back Wednesday. Now let's send some e-mail.

Peggy: Disney isn't the only wild place on the World Wild Web. A good place to search for more animal sites is Yahooligans, a search engine that focuses on sites for children. They offer lots of choices for animals.

www.yahooligans.com

Peggy: Here we found another theme park, Sea World. They offer a site called Animal Bytes where you can learn information and fun facts about lots of different animals.www.seaworld.org/animal_bytes/animal_bytes.htmlJoni: This site was designed to help you find information quickly about animals. You can learn facts about some 50 animals.Peggy: We needed this site last week when Kristin, my first-grader, needed facts about giraffes. For example, I now know that the giraffe's scientific name means, in part, a camel marked like a leopard.

Joni: The site is designed for classroom teachers, and Sea World encourages teachers to make worksheets based on their information.

Peggy: National Geographic brings us something called Crittercam Chronicles. They placed film cameras on the backs of a variety of sea animals. You can take a look at some of the films they made at

www.nationalgeographic.com/features/98/crittercam

Joni: A National Geographic photographer saw a parasitic fish hitching a ride on the back of a shark and thought it would be neat for a camera to do the same thing. He devised the crittercam.

Peggy: They first tried the cameras with turtles back in 1987. It worked. They moved onto sharks. Animals wear the cameras for a few days. Footage revealed the techniques of a master hunter. Sharks scout the bottom for shadows of victims above, then surface and snatch.

Joni: They also made crittercams for seals, whales and cats. Cats? Since when are cats sea creatures? Few people were surprised at the cat's reaction. She sulked.

Peggy: You can also learn about endangered animals on the Internet, including gorillas.

www.gorilla.org

Joni: The Gorilla Foundation was started in 1976 to promote protection and preservation of gorillas. But a big part of the program is teaching a modified form of the American Sign Language to two lowland gorillas, Koko and Michael. On April 27, there will be a live Internet chat with Koko and Penny at 6 p.m. our time. Do you think Penny is the human?

Peggy: It could prove interesting. Koko uses more than 500 signs and knows more than 1,000. The question is how are his keyboard skills?

Joni: His favorite television show is "Wild Kingdom" and his favorite movie is "Free Willy." Mister Rogers met Koko when a gorilla visited the neighborhood recently. You can see pictures of Mister Rogers hugging the gorilla. The episode is to air in July.

Peggy: If the photo is any indication, Mister Rogers and Koko had a nice conversation. For even more wildlife information, check out the National Wildlife Federation. Part of the site is geared to kids.

www.nwf.org/kids

Joni: They have games, a cool tour, Ranger Rick and more fun. We'll start with Ranger Rick. It is a monthly magazine for kids ages 7 and up. You can learn about Ranger Rick Raccoon and his gang of animal friends who live in the deep green wood.

Peggy: You can play MadLibz, riddles and mix and match games all with an animal theme. You can learn which two animals are the loudest in the world. Their noises can be heard 1.5 miles away.

Joni: You can tour water, wetlands, endangered species or public lands. For example, on the water tour, you learn the water cycle and some experiments you can try.

Peggy: What's your favorite wildlife site on the Internet? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.