nature, red in tooth and claw, green in turgid stomate.

May 19, 2010 3:19 PM

Please to be giving me your most awesome wild animal/plant videos on the internets. For the Children.

I'm working with a high school science class, and I've started giving them an "organism of the day" at the start of class by showing an entertaining video clip of an animal, plant, or fungus that has a unique adaptation, ecological role, or can be linked to a current event. After showing the video the class and I discuss what biological concepts the video touches on.

Videos I have shown/will show so far are the Australian Lyre bird, a snail parasite, the indonesian Mimic Octopus, and Squirting Cucumber. The videos have done a great job at sparking the interest of what sometimes isn't the most motivated bunch of kids. So now I want to keep it up, which mean many, many more organisms. Help! Give me your links, recommendations, or if you know of an organism that I can look up that fits the bill. Ideally there should be video, but I may end up showing just images of the organism also.

The videos should ideally be 3 minutes or less and be on Youtube (which is not blocked on the computer at the school). Thanks!

posted by Maude_the_destroyer to science & nature (11 answers total)

David Attenborough's The Private Life of Plants, especially when he talks about carnivorous plants (which are carnivorous because they have had to adapt to living in very low-nutrient soil).

Venus fly trap
Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes) that grow large enough to drown rats.
posted by jamaro at 3:46 PM on May 19, 2010

Giant Isopods
posted by Balonious Assault at 3:51 PM on May 19, 2010

This is pretty much the coolest thing ever: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/japanese-hornets-massacre-bees/19385

Apparently this breed of Japanese hornets can infiltrate and destroy a hive of American honey bees in no time. But the Japanese honey bees have a strategy that involves increasing the temperature surrounding the hornet beyond what it can survive.
posted by jander03 at 4:05 PM on May 19, 2010

[Despite fear of self-linking] I try to post a video of the sort described every Friday on my blog.
posted by one_bean at 4:35 PM on May 19, 2010

Crows are clever; but capuchins will cut off their nose to spite their face (metaphorically) to a remarkably human degree.
posted by nthdegx at 4:38 PM on May 19, 2010

Bowerbirds, who create beautiful and complicated displays of ornaments.
posted by illenion at 7:07 PM on May 19, 2010 [1 favorite]

On the off chance you aren't among the 52 million who've already seen it, Battle at Kruger is about as red and toothy as it gets - guaranteed to keep the most unmotivated kids on the edges of their seats. I still get chills at 4:35.
posted by mediareport at 8:10 PM on May 19, 2010

These are all great, thanks! Keep 'em coming if you have more.
posted by Maude_the_destroyer at 10:35 PM on May 19, 2010

Zombie Snails

Cordyceps

nature is creepy.
posted by juv3nal at 2:55 AM on May 20, 2010

oh my bad, just saw zombie snails in your questions. Still, cordyceps.
posted by juv3nal at 2:55 AM on May 20, 2010

mushrooms... though it might be too general for your taste. also.
posted by RedEmma at 7:47 AM on May 20, 2010