Year 3 are studying a unit on Biodiversity this term. We will be learning about the wonderful variety of life forms that we share this planet with, where they live, what their requirements are and also how we can learn to live in harmony with them. Come back and visit the page every week to check on the Species of the Week information and videos.
Click to set custom HTML
OLogy - American Museum of Natural History |
This is a great website with lots of activities and information on biodiversity.
There are a lot of hands-on activities and projects that would also be perfect for this time in isolation. |
BUSHBLITZ
BushBlitz is Australia's largest species discovery programme - a multimillion dollar partnership between various government and non-government agencies to document plant and animal species across Australia. Since the program began in 2010, BushBlitz has discovered 900 new species! Did you know that although Australia has approximately 745,000 documented species, scientists estimate that we are yet to identify more than three-quarters of our biodiversity!
Mrs. Rao was lucky enough to be part of a BushBlitz expedition to the beautiful Kimberley region in 2014. Click here to see just some of the species that were discovered on that expedition. (Not all of them were new species but many were new records for the area).
Mrs. Rao was lucky enough to be part of a BushBlitz expedition to the beautiful Kimberley region in 2014. Click here to see just some of the species that were discovered on that expedition. (Not all of them were new species but many were new records for the area).
FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS
|
|
SPECIES OF THE WEEK -WEEK 3
VAMPIRE SQUIDThe Vampire squid whose scientific name -Vampyroteuthis infernalis - means vampire squid from Hell - seems like a creature of science fiction. It is found mainly in deep waters between 600 - 1200 m below sea level where there is very little light and oxygen. It feeds on prawns and other small invertebrates. Despite its fearsome appearance it only grows to about 12 cm long. It has an amazing ability to turn itself inside out and change its swimming style completely. Click on the image on the right to see some amazing footage photographed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
|
Questions of the week1. Is the vampire squid a vertebrate?
2. What does the vampire squid feed on? 3. How big can a vampire squid grow? |
SPECIES OF THE WEEK -WEEK 4
|
TASMANIAN DEVILTasmanian devils are one of Australia's most recognisable species but sadly, also one of our most endangered as well.
They are the largest marsupial carnivores in Australia and were once found not just in Tasmania but all through the mainland as well. They are believed to have gone extinct on the mainland about 400 years ago. They are now threatened by an even more serious problem. A disease called DFTD - Devil Facial Tumour Disease - a rare and contagious type of cancer is spreading rapidly through wild devil populations. It has no known cure and is always fatal. Devil populations in the wild have dropped by up to 80%. Tasmanian devils are solitary nocturnal animals though they often come together to feed. They are capable of hunting small prey but are mostly scavengers feeding on all sorts of dead prey including beached fish, possums, wallabies and wombats. Captive breeding populations and finding a cure remain our only hope for saving this wonderful species from extinction. |
|
QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK
1. Why are baby devils in captivity kept in a bag?
2. Why were Tasmanian devils hunted by farmers?
3. What does solitary mean?
4. What does nocturnal mean?
5. What is a scavenger? (Read the text and make an inference)
6. Extra for experts: Devil populations have declined by 80%. Can you find a creative way to illustrate this?
1. Why are baby devils in captivity kept in a bag?
2. Why were Tasmanian devils hunted by farmers?
3. What does solitary mean?
4. What does nocturnal mean?
5. What is a scavenger? (Read the text and make an inference)
6. Extra for experts: Devil populations have declined by 80%. Can you find a creative way to illustrate this?
SPECIES OF THE WEEK -WEEK 5
PEBBLE TOADS
|
QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK
1. What time of day would you go out to look for pebble toads? 2. Compare the size of the pebble toad to your finger nail. 3. Why doesn't the toad get injured in its fall down the mountain side? |
SPECIES OF THE WEEK -WEEK 6
DUNG BEETLESThere are about 300 native species of dung beetle in Australia and over 500 species in the world. All dung beetles feed only on dung from herbivores and omnivores. Many species also roll balls of dung into their burrows. The female then lays eggs directly into the ball, providing the larvae with an easy source of food when they are born.
Dung beetles do not need to eat anything other food or water - the dung provides them with all their nutrition. Dung beetles form a very valuable part of any ecosystem - by breaking down the dung, they prevent flies from breeding in it and also returns the nutrients back into the soil. They have also been found to amazing powers of navigation. Recent studies have shown that some dung beetles can use polarised moonlight and even the Milky Way to find their way around. Not bad for an insect that feeds on you know what! Click on this link to watch an extremely interesting talk on these fascinating animals. Questions of the week 1. What are herbivores and omnivores? 2. Where do dung beetles get their water? 3. Why did ancient Egyptians worship the dung beetle? |
Close up of a dung beetle head
|
SPECIES OF THE WEEK -WEEK 7
SPECIES OF THE WEEK -WEEK 8
SPECIES OF THE WEEK -WEEK 9
CORROBOREE FROGFrogs are the only native amphibians in Australia. Australia has 208 frog species, and many of these are endemic - that is, they are found nowhere else in the world.
One of the most iconic and recognisable species is the Corroboree frog. It is sadly, also one of the most endangered frog species in Australia. Corroboree frogs are found in a very small area in south eastern New South Wales, in and around Kosciuszko National Park and the Brindabella Ranges. They are tiny frogs - only growing to between 2.5 and 3 cms long. They eat mainly small ants and other invertebrates. There are believed to only be 100 frogs alive in the wild. The main reasons for their decline are a fungal disease (Amphibian Chytrid Fungus), habitat destruction and drought. |
Questions of the week
1. How many species of Corroboree frogs are there in Australia? 2. What makes Corroboree frogs different to other poisonous frogs in the world? 3. How could you tell one Corroboree frog from another? |
|
Desert Rain FrogThe desert rain frog, Breviceps macrops, is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is found in Namibia and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and sandy shores. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The desert rain frog is nocturnal and spends the day in a burrow that it digs where the sand is moist. Very little is known about this endangered species but it is presumed to feed on moths, beetles and insect larvae. |
Jodi Rowley - Scientist, Explorer, Communicator ..
Dr. Jodi Rowley is a biologist who specialises in amphibian conservation. She is based at the Australian Museum in Sydney and we were fortunate enough to have her speak at Science Under the Stars in 2017. She is an amazing, enthusiastic and inspirational communicator. She recently featured in a National Geographic Explorer Classroom - watch the video to the right for a fascinating insight into the world of a conservation biologist and the wonderful diversity of frogs.
SPECIES OF THE WEEK -WEEK 10
BLUE WHALEThe blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest animal to have ever lived, being almost as big as a Boeing 737 and even larger than the biggest dinosaurs.
Blue whales can grow up to 33.5 metres, although most individuals vary between 24 and 27 metres. The heart of a blue whale is the size of a small car and weighs almost 600 kg. Being a mammal, the blue whale needs to breathe air. Before making a dive, all whales breathe out the stale air in their lungs so they can fill up with fresh oxygen rich air. This blow or spout of old air can reach 9 -10 metres in a blue whale! Despite being such a mammoth creature, the blue whale feeds on one of tiny shrimp like animals called krill. Krill are invertebrates that only grow to approximately 1- 2 cm. A blue whale might eat 4 tonnes (4000 kg) of krill in a day during summer. Blue whale calves can weigh 2,400 kg at birth and drink 400 litres of milk a day for the first 7 months of their life! That's a LOT of milk! Sadly, this magnificent species was hunted almost to extinction until it was banned in 1966. Click on the pictures to see amazing videos of these amazing animals. |
Questions of the Week1. What do blue whales eat?
2. What makes the Blue Whale different to fish? 3. How much does a blue whale calf weigh at birth? |
SEA JELLIES or JellyfishSea jellies are some of the most beautiful aquatic invertebrates. Along with sea anemones and coral, they belong to the invertebrate group Cnidaria, and have been present on Earth for a very long time. Imprints of jellyfish have been found in 500 million years old rock!
Sea jellies are found in every ocean of the world at all depths. In 2010, researchers discovered new species of hot pink jellyfish (see below) living near deep-sea vents in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Costa Rica. The vents are 2,600 metres below the ocean surface. |
Sea jellies use water propulsion to move about, giving them an ethereal look in the water. Watch the video above for a look at some beautiful jellies.
|