Animals

from http://science-class.net/archive/science-class/Biology/animals.htm

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, 

they pass no criticisms.

George Eliot

VIDEOS:

At Nat Hab Films, we believe that you cannot save what you do not love, and you cannot love what you do not know. Join us on a journey of discovery as we celebrate the beauty of our natural world and the passionate individuals dedicated to its preservation.

 VIDEO | Polar Bear Country   Can polar bears and people coexist in the "Polar Bear Capital of the World"? Find out what it's like to live with wild bears from the inspiring community members of Churchill, Manitoba, a remote frontier town on the edge of Canada's Hudson Bay. Here hundreds of polar bears gather each fall, waiting for the sea ice to form so they can start hunting seals. 

VIDEO | Zapa & the Jaguar     Naturalist guide Cassiano "Zapa" Zaniboni rarely saw jaguars when he first began leading wildlife trips through Brazil's Pantanal wetlands decades ago. Now, these iconic big cats are making a comeback. Discover why this Expedition Leader is passionate about protecting threatened jaguars in the world’s largest seasonal floodplain.

 VIDEO | The Silverback     Africa’s endangered mountain gorillas have family units like our own, creating a strong human connection to these great apes. This primal allure is especially powerful for safari guide Richard de Gouveia, whose professional journey was shaped by childhood tragedy. Today, his love for family and nature inspire him to share Africa’s wild primates with travelers.

 VIDEO | The Bear Coast     Discover Alaska’s pristine Bear Coast, including Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks. This area offers intact, pristine brown bear habitat with abundant salmon runs and other food that support the world’s highest density of wild bears. Learn why we must protect the bears, their habitat and the people who depend on both.

 VIDEO | Endangered Migration     Monarch butterflies, vital pollinators supporting food production and more, make a 3,000-mile annual migration from the U.S. to Mexico. A vulnerable species, their journey is at risk due to habitat loss. Local communities and WWF are protecting their winter forests. Now, we can help preserve monarch habitats in the U.S.

 VIDEO | Big Bad Wolf     In 1995, more than a century after the gray wolf was eradicated from the Yellowstone region, it was reintroduced to America's first national park. As wolves began to thrive again in their native habitat, so, too, did controversy. Watch this short film to learn more about the conservation challenges faced by Yellowstone's wolves.

• Polar Bear Videos  Watch the King of the Arctic in its wild tundra habitat on the edge of Hudson Bay, just outside Churchill, Manitoba.

• Africa Videos  Highlights from our African safaris, including close-up footage of lions, elephants, gorillas, lemurs and more!

• Alaska & Northern Videos  Thrilling clips of Alaska's coastal grizzlies, humpback whales and spirit bears in BC, Greenland icebergs & northern lights!

• U.S. National Parks Videos  Wildlife footage from magnificent national parks in the American West—including the wild gray wolves of Yellowstone.

• Europe Videos  Footage from Europe's natural side, including our luxury adventure base camp near the edge of the Greenland ice sheet.

• Latin America Videos  From whale sharks to monarch butterflies, view wildlife encounters in Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Patagonia & the Galapagos.

• Asia & Pacific Videos  Watch delightful action footage of China's giant pandas, Borneo's athletic orangutans (including a baby!) and more...

• Antarctica Videos  Whales, seals, penguins and more ice than you can fathom! Watch footage from our Expedition Cruises to Antarctica.

• Nature Photography  From monarch butterflies to northern lights, prepare for your next adventure with expert tips from our top Photo Expedition Leaders.

• Conservation & Sustainability Videos  See how we're helping making the world a better place through conservation travel.

These resources are generally appropriate for grades 5 - 9. In some cases they have been classified by grade level. 

The groupings are general and somewhat arbitrary. As with anything in education; your milage may vary.

You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to read and print files on this site. 

Activities & Labs

• Life Science Safari

  • Invertebrates

    • The Invertebrate Market

    • The Case of the Taken Tractor - Invertebrate Review

  • Insects

  • Reptiles & Amphibians

  • Birds

  • Mammals

  • More from:

    • sciencespot.net

    • middleschoolscience.com

    • The Biology Corner

    • Massengale's Biology Junction

    • Invitations to Science Inquiry by Dr. Tik L. Liem

• • Warm-Ups & Bell Ringers

    • • More from

        • sciencespot.net

        • middleschoolscience.com

Graphic Organizers

• • Invertebrates

  • Insects

  • Reptiles & Amphibians

  • Fish

  • Birds

  • Mammals

  • General

    • Animal Characteristics

World Wildlife Fund Fast Facts

Warm-Blooded

Like humans, humpback whales are warm-blooded mammals who nurse their young.

Climate Change Impacts  

As the oceans warm and sea ice lessens, humpback whales may have to migrate much further to reach feeding grounds, leaving them with less time to forage for food.

Carbon Intake  

When humpbacks die, they sink to the seabed, taking massive amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere for centuries. Altogether, one whale captures the same amount of carbon over its lifetime as thousands of trees.

Fishing Gear Threat  

As many as 300,000 whales, dolphins, and porpoises are killed every year from entanglement in fishing gear.

The Plastic Problem

Eight million tons of plastic are entering the sea every year—about one full garbage truck every minute. New research shows whales near large cities ingest around 3 million microplastics per day.

Protecting Blue Corridors

A 2022 report by WWF and its science partners visualizes the satellite tracks of over 1000 migratory whales worldwide. Importantly, it helps identify where migratory routes and key habitat areas overlap with a range of emerging and cumulative threats from human activities, helping inform how we can better protect and manage their ocean habitats worldwide.

28 Countries  

Throughout the Southern Hemisphere, humpbacks make seasonal migrations between the tropics and polar waters, moving along the coasts through the waters of 28 countries and the open ocean that lies beyond the jurisdiction of any nation.

Baleen

Some whales are considered “baleen” if they have fibrous 'baleen' plates in their mouths instead of teeth, which help them filter out and consume huge quantities of krill, plankton, and crustaceans. Humpbacks and blue whales are both considered baleen.

Fat Reserve  

Humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere live off their fat reserves for 5.5-7.5 months each year, as they migrate from their tropical breeding grounds to the Antarctic, to feed on krill.

Whale Tongues  

Whales use their tongue, which is the size of an elephant, to suck food down their throat.