Unusual Giants of South American Forests
In Unusual Giants of South American Forests, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that South American trees look different from their North American counterparts. Parakeets use their slender bills to extract seeds from monkey puzzle cones as huge alerce trees tower overhead. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Lesson Express
Q: Describe the landscape shown in the video.
A: Mountainous terrain; lower slopes covered in conifer forest; higher slopes bare and covered in snow; tall trees with short branches; a flowing stream; an active volcano.
Q: How do the araucaria trees of South America compare with conifers of the North American taiga?
A: The araucaria trees have waterproof scales instead of needles; their cones look different.
Q: Why do you think the Valdivian forest supports so few large animals?
A: Student responses will vary. Students may mention that there isn’t much to eat or that the temperature is too cold.
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In How the Andes Shaped Life in South America, narrator Iain Stewart explains how the Andes have shaped South America in incredible ways, creating the Amazon River and its rainforest. One of the Andes’ most amazing residents is the llama, built for high-altitude life. But llamas didn’t originate in South America — they came from North America and crossed over millions of years ago when the continents connected. Today, just like the llamas once did, people bring new foods, technology, and ideas to the Andes, showing the world is more connected than ever! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Rise of the Continents, which uncovers how Earth’s continents formed and shaped life over millions of years.
In Squid in the Twilight Zone, narrator Sir David Attenborough highlights the Humboldt squid that lives at some of the deepest depths of the ocean. 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.
In The Amazon Rainforest and Human Destruction, look at satellite images that show how forests across South America are being replaced by farms at a rapid pace. Over two million species of plants and animals live in the Amazon rainforest and many are endangered. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Sneak a Peek at the Miniature Animals of the South American Forests, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how the world’s smallest deer is on alert as the smallest cat in the Americas stalks it! Fortunately for the deer, the cat finds moths to feast upon. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.