How Red Kangaroos Keep Their Cool
In How Red Kangaroos Keep Their Cool, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how red kangaroos survive the extreme heat of the Australian desert. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Lesson Express
Q: What is the greatest danger for the red kangaroo in the desert?
A: The kangaroo can easily overheat in the middle of the day from the extreme Sun and heat.
Q: Why do the kangaroos lick their forearms?
A: The forearms have blood vessels close to the surface of the skin and the saliva cools the blood of the kangaroos when it evaporates.
Q: What other action does the kangaroos take to stay cool?
A: The kangaroos dig because the ground is cooler underneath the topsoil.
More Like This
In Antarctica and Our Climate, geologist Iain Stewart explains how technology allows us to see the full geography of Antarctica, including lakes that are under ice and huge glaciers that cover islands of rock. Antarctica is formed because we are in an ice age that has lasted more than three million years, with small changes that have a large impact as ice advances and retreats over and over again. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
In Meet the Flat Lizards, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how flat lizards flaunt their multi-colored bellies during territorial disputes. Watch as the lizards leap to eat a blackfly rising from the surface of water. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Animals of the Gobi Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Gobi Desert and the animals that live there. The Gobi is one of the harshest deserts of all because temperatures range from 122°F (50°C) during the summer to -40°F (-40°C) during the winter. Learn how Bactrian camels living in the Gobi get their water from snow. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Desert Locust Finds New Feeding Grounds, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that desert locust eggs can hatch after being in the ground for 20 years. Learn how locusts find new feeding grounds by following the smell of sprouting grass, travel with the wind to find low pressure and rainfall, and use pheromones, or scent messages, to communicate with one another. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Antarctica and Our Climate, geologist Iain Stewart explains how technology allows us to see the full geography of Antarctica, including lakes that are under ice and huge glaciers that cover islands of rock. Antarctica is formed because we are in an ice age that has lasted more than three million years, with small changes that have a large impact as ice advances and retreats over and over again. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
In Meet the Flat Lizards, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how flat lizards flaunt their multi-colored bellies during territorial disputes. Watch as the lizards leap to eat a blackfly rising from the surface of water. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Animals of the Gobi Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores the Gobi Desert and the animals that live there. The Gobi is one of the harshest deserts of all because temperatures range from 122°F (50°C) during the summer to -40°F (-40°C) during the winter. Learn how Bactrian camels living in the Gobi get their water from snow. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Desert Locust Finds New Feeding Grounds, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that desert locust eggs can hatch after being in the ground for 20 years. Learn how locusts find new feeding grounds by following the smell of sprouting grass, travel with the wind to find low pressure and rainfall, and use pheromones, or scent messages, to communicate with one another. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.