Meet the Caiman Crocodile
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.
Lesson Express
Q: How do caimans adapt to the dry season when food is scarce?
A: Caimans are cold-blooded, which allows them to go without food for months. This adaptation helps them survive the dry season when food is limited, as they can conserve energy until the wet season arrives.
Q: How does the environment of the Brazilian swamps impact the caiman's behavior and survival?
A: The environment impacts the caiman by forcing it to adapt to long periods without food during the dry season. The shrinking water pools lead to increased competition and aggression between caimans. However, the return of the rain allows them to feed easily again, starting a cycle of survival based on the seasonal changes.
Q: What might happen to the caiman population if the dry season lasted longer than usual?
A: The caimans might struggle to find enough food to survive, which could lead to malnutrition or death. Longer periods without food would also increase competition and aggression among the caimans, potentially harming the population.
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In Into the Lagoon With a Black Caiman, naturalist Steve Backshall finds a black caiman under the dock at his lodge. He lures the caiman with chicken and explains how the black caiman is such an awesome predator. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In The Course of a River: Dangerous Waters, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that 13 million liters of water plunge over one of the widest waterfalls in the world every second. The river below teems with hungry piranhas, large-mouthed caimans, and dorados on the hunt. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Life in the Flooded Jungles of Brazil, narrator Sir David Attenborough takes us into the flooded Amazon rainforest, showing how jungle trees release moisture into the air to create their own rainfall. Marvel at the diverse range of animals that live in this watery environment, including river dolphins, capybaras, giant otters, and caimans. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Into the Lagoon With a Black Caiman, naturalist Steve Backshall finds a black caiman under the dock at his lodge. He lures the caiman with chicken and explains how the black caiman is such an awesome predator. This video is excerpted from BBC's Deadly 60, an award-winning nature and adventure show for kids in which narrator Steve Backshall has one mission: to travel the globe in search of 60 of the world's deadliest animals.
In The Course of a River: Dangerous Waters, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that 13 million liters of water plunge over one of the widest waterfalls in the world every second. The river below teems with hungry piranhas, large-mouthed caimans, and dorados on the hunt. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.