Elephants in the Congo
In Elephants in the Congo, narrator Sir David Attenborough follows the elephants in the Congo to a clearing. The elephants roam great distances in their search for food. Learn how they change their environment by creating highways through the Congo and through blowing bubbles in the mud to uncover minerals below the surface. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Lesson Express
Q: Why do so many animals gather in the clearing in the forest?
A: The clearing is appealing because it provides water, minerals, and a chance for animals, like elephants, to gather together with other groups they rarely see.
Q: How is the Congo different from the other rainforests in the Amazon or South East Asia?
A: Below the canopy, on the ground, the forest is covered with highways made by the elephants.
Q: Why do the elephants consume clay?
A: The clay provides minerals that the elephants don’t have in their diets. It also absorbs toxins in the leaves the elephants eat.
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