Meet the cold-blooded champions. Komodo dragons, caimans, bullfrogs, waterfall toads — these reptiles and amphibians have evolved extreme skills to survive as ectotherms, relying on their environment instead of their own body heat. We've put together a collection of BBC video clips all about cold-blooded animals (see Related Resources below). Watch them, then take the Kahoot to see what stuck.
The tricks are surprisingly specific: basilisks use a rapid leg motion to run across water without sinking, while waterfall toads — which can't leap like most frogs — have their own clever way of dodging predators. Explore how these cold-blooded creatures have adapted to thrive, and pick up some solid vocabulary along the way.
Get ready to meet the cold-blooded superstars of the animal kingdom! This BBC playlist slinks, scuttles, and snaps through the fascinating lives of cobras, turtles, lizards, and alligators. Whether it's the mesmerizing hood dance of a cobra or the alligator's toothy grin, these clips are perfect for sparking curiosity (and maybe a little squeamishness) in your classroom. Warning: May cause students to say "Whoa!" and "Ew!" in equal measure.
In Meet the Caiman Crocodile, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us into the vast Brazilian swamps, where caiman crocodiles face a tough dry season when water shrinks into small pools, and food becomes scarce. These cold-blooded reptiles can go months without eating, but hunger makes them cranky and aggressive toward each other. However, when the rains finally return, the rivers fill, and the caimans get to relax, lining up to catch fish with little effort! This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
Meet the cold-blooded champions. Komodo dragons, caimans, bullfrogs, waterfall toads — these reptiles and amphibians have evolved extreme skills to survive as ectotherms, relying on their environment instead of their own body heat. We've put together a collection of BBC video clips all about cold-blooded animals (see Related Resources below). Watch them, then take the Kahoot to see what stuck.
The tricks are surprisingly specific: basilisks use a rapid leg motion to run across water without sinking, while waterfall toads — which can't leap like most frogs — have their own clever way of dodging predators. Explore how these cold-blooded creatures have adapted to thrive, and pick up some solid vocabulary along the way.
Get ready to meet the cold-blooded superstars of the animal kingdom! This BBC playlist slinks, scuttles, and snaps through the fascinating lives of cobras, turtles, lizards, and alligators. Whether it's the mesmerizing hood dance of a cobra or the alligator's toothy grin, these clips are perfect for sparking curiosity (and maybe a little squeamishness) in your classroom. Warning: May cause students to say "Whoa!" and "Ew!" in equal measure.
In Meet the Caiman Crocodile, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us into the vast Brazilian swamps, where caiman crocodiles face a tough dry season when water shrinks into small pools, and food becomes scarce. These cold-blooded reptiles can go months without eating, but hunger makes them cranky and aggressive toward each other. However, when the rains finally return, the rivers fill, and the caimans get to relax, lining up to catch fish with little effort! This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.