Feasting on Anchovies
In Feasting on Anchovies, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains the important role that anchovies play in supporting all marine life. These anchovies feed on plankton in and around Monterey Bay, California, where millions are food for sea lions, dolphins, humpback whales, and countless seabirds. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
Lesson Express
Q: Besides anchovies, what marine animals do you see in the video?
A: There are dolphins, sea lions, humpback whales, and seabirds like pelicans and seagulls.
Q: Plankton is crucial to all marine life. What is the relationship between plankton and anchovies?
A: Since the anchovies are plankton-fed fish, lots of algae creates lots of plankton, which, in turn, means more anchovies. Then larger fish feed on the anchovies.
Q: What would happen if the population of anchovies dropped due to disease or some other cause?
A: Since anchovies are a part of the food chain, a reduction in anchovies would mean that larger fish/marine animals would have to seek other food.
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