Conservation Tales
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Wildlife Watch
Observing Animals

​Inquiry Activity

 ​
A learning activity by Tom J. McConnell, Ball State University. 
Many scientists who study wildlife spend time observing the behavior of the animals they study. Observations are one of the types of data that helps researchers learn how animals survive in their habitats. In this activity, you can practice by observing the same species we write about in our books using live webcams! You can try this with several different kinds of animals.
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Watching animals can be very interesting. You may have watched animals in your yard, on a camping trip, or at a zoo or aquarium. Scientists also watch animals, often as part of their research. Some scientist are investigation questions that can be answered by watching animals and see if they notice patterns in their behavior. Scientific observations also require a record-taking system to make it easier to compare observations over time. You may notice in our books scientists recording information in journal books or on data sheets. These are important tools for a researcher. Many of the scientists in the Conservation Tales books use these types of observations. Most of them spend many weeks in the field looking for animals in the wild, then observing them and taking notes. 

In this activity, you can learn to observe animals like a scientist! And you don't have to leave home or the classroom to do it! You can watch animals on live webcams, and record observations from your desk. Some scientists do this as well! 

Many of the webcams you can view are at zoos, although a few are located in wild spaces and wildlife preserves. If you're ready to try your hand at collected scientific data, download some instructions and an observation data sheet template! Then pick a species you'd like to watch, and start taking some notes! After some practice, you can ask your own research questions or try observing different species!


Activity Download - Data Table Templates

Download these printable instructions to help you pick a data table format and start observing animals on the life webcams!

Wildlife Watch - Downloadable Lesson & templates
Links to Live Animal Webcams
  • ZooView.TV - This webcam at the Milwaukee County Zoo lets you watch Amur tigers or at least 5 other animals! Pick a species from the menu bar on the right.
  • Ape Cam - You can watch orangutans at San Diego Wildlife Park. 
  • KC Orangutan Cam - This page from Mangolink lets you watch orangutans from Kansas City.
  • African Wildlife Cams - Pick one of several live cams from safari sites in Africa! You might see elephants, giraffes, or one of several other WILD African species! (Note! these sites have a 6-7 hour difference in time zone.)
  • Giraffe Feeding Station - Spend some time with giraffes at the Houston Zoo. (This site may not have much to observe during the COVID shutdown.)
  • Manatee Webcams - Save the Manatees supports live webcams at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park and Blue Springs State Park.
  • Manatee Cam - Another way to watch manatees, this site is from the Dallas World Aquarium.
  • Elephant Cam by Planet Zoo - Observe the elephants at the San Diego Wildlife Park.
  • University of Florida Bat Barn - See the live cam in the Bat Barn, or choose one of the recorded videos.

  • Or pick some other species! Mangolink has a wide variety of animal webcams from around the world!
  • You can even search for other live animal cams! Pick a species that interests you!
​
For the Teacher
Grade Level: 3-10
Time expected: 1-3 hours

NGSS Standards

Student Expectations
  • 3-LS3-1
  • MS-LS2-1​
  • HS-LS2-1 & 2
Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • LS3B
​Practices 
  • Developing and using models and tools
  • Analyzing and interpreting data
​Crosscutting Concepts
  • Patterns
  • Structure and Function
  • Scale, Proportion & Quantity
​​
Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence.

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  • Home
    • About the project
  • Books
    • Cerulean Warbler
    • Bats
    • Salamanders
    • Bees
    • Sea Turtles
    • Seahorses
    • Manatees
    • Elephants
    • Giraffes
    • Orangutans
    • Tigers
    • Monarch
    • Carp
    • Macaws
    • Sloths
    • Conservation Tales Junior
  • ELearning
  • eStore
    • Bookstore
    • Gift Shop
    • EdSales
  • Meet the Team
    • Current Team
    • Midwest II series
    • Asia Series Team
    • Midwest Series Team
    • Gulf Coast Series Team
    • Africa Series Team
    • CT Junior Series
    • Sponsors
    • Conservation Partners
  • Events
  • Extras
    • Photo Credits
    • Project Achievements
  • Activities
    • FeatherDetective >
      • At My Feeder
      • MW Fields & Woods
      • Let's Travel!
    • ButterflyCardGame
    • Turtle Detectives
    • What's Your Footprint?
    • manateeid
    • Manatee Eye in the Sky
    • BeeHouse
    • ElephantID >
      • ElephantPhotos
    • Wildlife Watch
    • Guided Reading
  • ButterflyID
  • BflyIDDiscuss
  • ButterflyIDQuiz