

Search results

Listed under:  Adaptation (Evolution)

The slushy sludger: go figure

This tutorial is suitable for use with a screen reader. It explains how the use of simple words can describe the likelihood of everyday events. Will an event happen: yes, no or maybe? Answer some sample questions using these words and then build your own examples. This learning object is one in a series of three objects.


Garden detective: Australian garden

Search for small creatures in an Australian garden. Find animals such as a scorpion, a lacewing and a cicada. Have a close look at their body parts. Identify groups of creatures that have similar body features such as wings or number of legs. Return all the animals to their habitats. This content is also suitable for use ...


Captain Ahab learns about whales

Have you ever wondered how long whales have been swimming around in our oceans, and where they came from? Watch this short skit in which knowledgeable shipmate Ishmael (otherwise known as young scientist Cassandra) explains the evolutionary history of whales to Captain Ahab.


Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotics are drugs used to treat infections and diseases caused by bacteria. Unfortunately, bacteria has an enormous capacity to adapt, which means they become immune to antibiotics. What are the repercussions of bacteria in our bodies becoming resistant to antibiotics and why could this present a big problem to human health?


Wild backyards: identifying insects

This is a web page produced by the Queensland Museum with two short embedded video clips: a 4-minute video on identifying insects and a 3.5-minute video on using an online interactive key. Each clip is supported by links to a transcript of the video, which can be printed. The content of these videos is based on the Backyard ...


Fungi: how they grow

If a mushroom is not a plant, what is it? Discover a group of living things that are neither animals nor plants. Explore the mysterious world of fungi and find out the conditions that they need before they can grow.


It's all in the trunk

Elephants are large, but how large? See how heavy a bull elephant is when its mass is described in numbers of cars or people. An elephant's trunk is a wonderful adaptation - a perfect tool. See why! Find out how elephants communicate using everything from loud trumpeting to low-frequency rumbles.


Playtpus: seeking out food

The platypus is rarely seen in the wild. Watch this female platypus, named Shy, filmed on the South Esk River, Tasmania, as she seeks food for her young. Marvel at the underwater footage as she scours the river bottom for tasty morsels. This is one clip in a series of three.


Playtpus: the young male leaves the burrow

Platypus young are born and grow in the protection of a burrow. In this clip we see a young male platypus leave the burrow for the first time. This platypus has spent between 14 and 15 weeks in its burrow. See what it does on its first outing. This is one clip in a series of three.


Playtpus: where are the young hiding?

The platypus protects its young in a burrow. Watch this amazing footage of two platypus babies inside the nesting chamber of one of these burrows. You'll be fascinated to watch as the mother, Shy, comes back to feed her 13-week-old young. This is one clip in a series of three.


Variations and adaptations

This is an interactive resource about how climate can affect ecosystems. Students discover that variation in plants allows some varieties to survive in near-drought conditions. Next, students learn that different types of rabbits prefer to eat different varieties of plants. Students make the connection between rainfall ...


CSIRO: vigorous roots improve nitrogen uptake

This is a 2-page CSIRO information sheet that outlines research by scientists in Western Australia to try and improve the uptake of nitrogen fertiliser in wheat crops. It describes how less than half of the nitrogen fertiliser applied to a wheat crop is found in the plant at harvest and how scientists have discovered that ...


Combatting antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is developing into a big health problem in today's society. As we become more resistant to these drugs, it becomes harder for bacterial infections and diseases to be treated. What are some potential solutions to this problem? Find out in this clip from ABC Catalyst.


Classroom Antarctica: Antarctic Adaptations

This is a learning sequence exploring how animals and plants survive the harsh Antarctic climate. A guided research template supports students to organise information from the Australian Antarctic Division website on the different physical, physiological and behavioural adaptations of the animals and plants in the region. ...


Leaping tall felines in a single bound

Discover one of the greatest high-jumpers of the animal world. If cat-fleas were the size of humans, they could jump 400 metres into the air! Find out how and why these tiny jumpers leap so high.


Dr Karl vs the mysterious giant squid

Do you believe in the legendary sea monster called the Kraken? It's said to have gigantic tentacles and to lurk in the deep ocean. In this clip, Dr Karl talks about some of the extraordinary features of a real deep-sea creature - the giant squid. Watch this clip to find out about it and see some footage of this amazing creature.


Elephant evolution

The elephant, the largest land mammal, is believed to have evolved from an aquatic pig-like animal. Many of its ancestors, such as the woolly mammoth, have become extinct, but three species of elephants remain. Find out to which marine animals elephants are thought to be closely related.


The virtual greenhouse

This is an interactive resource about how an organism thrives in specific environments that match its specific needs. Students explore how variation in organisms can enable them to live in different environments. For example, plants with different sizes of leaves are adapted to grow under different amounts of light. Students ...


Mystery plant adaptation

This is an interactive resource about how species are adapted to their environments and that variation in a species can help the species adapt to changes in the environment. Students explore a virtual field model with light levels that vary smoothly from top to bottom. A single type of seed grows best in the center of the ...


Changes in the environment

This is an interactive resource how different species can arise from a common ancestor if different groups have different selection pressures. Students can alter a field environment by growing a chain of mountains through the field. Students are challenged to grow the mountains to their maximum height while maintaining ...