ClassX Video Lessons Extinct and Endangered Animals for Kids | What we can do to protect endangered species
Hey there! Today, we’re going to explore the world of extinct and endangered animals. Do you know what those words mean? Let’s dive in and find out!
Have you ever seen a real dinosaur walking around? Probably not, because dinosaurs are extinct. This means that they no longer exist anywhere on Earth. They disappeared about 65 million years ago! Scientists think a big event, like an asteroid hitting Earth, caused many animals, including dinosaurs, to become extinct. This is called a mass extinction.
Now, let’s talk about giant pandas. Have you ever seen one at the zoo? Giant pandas are still around, but there aren’t many left. This means they are endangered. Endangered animals are at risk of becoming extinct if we don’t help them.
Animals can become extinct for two main reasons: natural causes or human actions.
Sometimes, animals can’t adapt to changes in their environment. This can happen because of climate change, new predators, or losing their food sources. For example, the woolly mammoth became extinct about 10,000 years ago due to climate change and habitat loss.
Humans can also cause extinction by overhunting animals or destroying their habitats. Pollution, cutting down forests, and moving animals to new places can all lead to extinction. The dodo bird and passenger pigeon are examples of animals that became extinct because of human actions.
Today, many animals are endangered, mostly because of human activities. Some of these animals include black rhinos, orangutans, Bengal tigers, and blue whales. There are over 7,000 species at risk!
But don’t worry, there are ways you can help! Simple actions like recycling, saving energy, and planting a garden can make a big difference. You can also sponsor an endangered animal to help protect them.
Here’s a quick review of what we’ve learned:
Great job, everyone! Animals are an important part of our planet, and it’s up to us to help protect them. Whether it’s being careful about hunting, protecting our environment, or supporting endangered animals, every little bit helps. You can make a real difference!
Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbright.org for more exciting resources and activities.
Animal Detective: Go on a nature walk in your backyard or a local park with an adult. Try to spot different animals or signs of animals, like tracks or nests. Make a list of the animals you see and discuss with your adult which ones might be endangered and why. Think about what you can do to help these animals in your area.
Endangered Animal Art: Choose your favorite endangered animal and create a drawing or a small model of it using clay or recycled materials. While creating, think about why this animal is endangered and what it needs to survive. Share your creation with your family and explain how they can help protect this animal.
Story Time: Imagine you are an animal that is endangered. Write a short story or draw a comic strip about a day in your life. What challenges do you face? How do you feel about being endangered? What message would you like to send to humans to help you and your animal friends?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Today, we are going to talk about extinct and endangered animals. Do you know what those words mean? Let’s find out!
One of these animals is extinct, and the other is endangered. Can you guess which is which? Let’s start with dinosaurs. Have you ever seen a real-life dinosaur walking around? Unless you are around 65 million years old, the answer is no, because there are no dinosaurs living on Earth today. That is because they are extinct.
Now, what about our other animal? Are there giant pandas still around on Earth? If you said yes, you are right! You may have even seen one at a zoo. Unfortunately, there are not many giant pandas left, which means they are in danger of becoming extinct, just like the dinosaurs. This means that giant pandas are endangered.
These terms can be a little confusing, but never fear! We are going to learn even more interesting facts starting right now.
“Extinct” means that certain kinds or species of animals no longer live anywhere in the world; they have died out. Sometimes, like with the dinosaurs, a huge event causes something called a mass extinction, which happens quickly over a very short period of time. Scientists believe that many organisms, along with the dinosaurs, died out when a large asteroid collided with the Earth. This is an example of mass extinction. Usually, though, extinction happens slowly over a long period of time.
There are two main reasons that extinction occurs: naturally or because of human interaction. Let’s look at each of these separately.
Natural extinction happens when animals do not adapt to changes in their environment. This can happen in a few different ways: climate change, new predators, or the loss of food sources are all naturally occurring causes of extinction. An example of this type of extinction happened 10,000 years ago with the woolly mammoth, which died out because of climate change and the disappearance of its habitat.
Human interaction is another form of extinction and typically happens due to overhunting or habitat destruction. Pollution, deforestation, and moving animals to areas where they are not typically found all contribute to extinction, as does the overhunting of species to the point where they can no longer reproduce enough young to survive.
Here is an interesting fact: the dodo bird became extinct due to overhunting and because other animals moved into its habitat. The passenger pigeon also became extinct because of overhunting, along with the destruction of its habitat.
Today, there are many animals that are in danger of becoming extinct, mostly due to human causes. When this happens, the animals are considered endangered. Endangered animals have very low populations, and most of the reasons why their numbers are so low are similar to the reasons why animals become extinct. This makes sense because, at some point, most extinct animals were endangered before they died out.
Today, some animals are so endangered that they can only be found in a zoo or animal preserve and not in the wild. Here are some of the most endangered animals in the world: black rhinos, orangutans, Bengal tigers, blue whales, sea lions, giant pandas, mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, and many others.
Right now, there are more than 7,000 species of animals that are endangered or at risk of becoming extinct. You might be thinking, “Are there some ways that I can help protect these endangered animals?” And guess what? There definitely are! Doing simple things to help the environment, like recycling, saving energy, and planting a garden, can all help. There are also ways you can sponsor an endangered animal. If we all work together, we can make a difference!
Now that we have learned lots of new cool facts, let’s review:
True or False: Extinct animals still live on Earth? That’s false. Extinct animals, like dinosaurs, no longer live on Earth.
Fill in the blank: One example of an endangered animal is the giant panda.
Name one way you can help protect endangered animals: recycling, saving energy, planting a garden, sponsoring an animal.
Fill in the blank: Scientists believe that dinosaurs became extinct because of a mass extinction event.
Nice job, everyone! Animals are an important part of our planet, and it is up to us to help protect them in any way we can. Whether it is being responsible about hunting, protecting our environment, or contributing money to help endangered animals, every little bit helps. You can make a real difference and help our planet and the animals living on it thrive.
Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbright.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
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