Crash Course
Community Ecology II: Predators
The first examples of mimicry we have found date back to before flowering plants. The video goes in depth on predators at the community ecology level. It includes discussions of herbivores, parasitism, adaptations, cryptic coloration,...
Amoeba Sisters
Plant Structure and Adaptations
Non-vascular plants, like moss, are able to survive on photosynthesis. A video explains plant structure for both vascular and non-vascular plants. It includes the parts of each plant and adaptations to various environments such as...
Amoeba Sisters
Natural Selection and the Bacterial Resistance
Biological fitness involves the number of offspring you produce and is not dependent on working out. The video explains natural selection using cartoon graphics of frogs on a log. Then it introduces evolution through antibiotic...
Crash Course Kids
How to Get Resources - Picky Pineapples
How do we survive if the resources we need are not available? This is the focus of a video that explains how humans adapt and transform to get the resources they need. An investigation of how Las Vegas has adapted to using a...
Crash Course Kids
Living Things Change
What happens to organisms when the environment around them changes? This is the focus of a video that describes how living things must adapt to their ever-changing environment.
Crash Course Kids
Water Water Everywhere
How do different animals access the small amounts of freshwater on Earth, in order to survive? This is the focus of a video that discusses how animals must adapt to surviving off limited amounts of freshwater present in their habitat.
TED-Ed
Can Wildlife Adapt to Climate Change?
Can humans protect other species from the effects of climate change? Can animals adapt or evolve fast enough to survive? Check out this video for some surprising answers.
TED-Ed
Attack of the Killer Algae
Invasive species can remind us of a horror film! In this video, an algae, popularly used in home aquariums, gets out and takes over coastal ecosystems, destroying the native organisms. The bright side, however, is an example where...
California Academy of Science
Sensitive Alligators
We don't normally think of alligators as sensitive, but in their own unique way, they are far more sensitive than humans. Through a two-minute video, explore the unique adaptation that allows alligators to sense their prey and to...
California Academy of Science
Spiky Sight
Can an organism with no eyes still see? As it turns out for the purple sea urchin, the answer is yes. In a short video, scientists explain why they believe that some sea urchins can use their spikes to visually sense the environment.
California Academy of Science
Mimic Octopus
The award for the most effective adaptation goes to the mimic octopus, a newly described species. The octopus can change its color, shape, and behavior to mimic flounder, lion fish, sea snakes, and more.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies
How did the stickleback fish, which was once ocean bound, evolve to be able to persist in freshwater lakes? Hear from the scientists who identified the genes and related switches that allowed these survivors to adapt. In addition to the...
TED-Ed
Why Are Blue Whales So Enormous?
Isn't it strange that Earth's largest animal lives on one of its tiniest? Using Sesame-Street-style puppetry, this video explains how this phenomenon happens. Viewers learn that a single mouthful of krill taken in by a whale has the...
Curated OER
Charles Darwin (Part 2)
Part two of this entertaining series looks at Darwin's visit to the Galapagos, his return home, and his determination to support his theories with evidence. What fun!
Curated OER
Charles Darwin, Part 1/3
A wonderfully humorous and irreverent take on the early life of Charles Darwin tracing his struggles at school to his arrival at the Galapagos. Part one of the three-part Greatest Scientists series narrated by Dr. Allan Chapman.
Curated OER
Natural Selection
It's Mr. Anderson, and he's ready to explain natural selection! Be excited, because he has the ability to make scientific biology and genetic functions in terms of natural selection make sense. With great examples and a clear and gentle...
Curated OER
Life in the Polar Regions
Take a look at the coldest, windiest, and driest place on earth: the arctic! Very few species exist here, and those that do have undergone several adaptations to ensure their survival. Learn about some of these unique animals and their...
Curated OER
The Theory of Evolution Made Easy
Your upper graders will have no problem understanding the Theory of Evolution after watching this comprehensive clip. Multiple examples are used to demonstrate how a species is able to adapt and change over time due to both environmental...
Curated OER
Desert Plants and Cactus
Plants have unique ways of adapting to droughts. Show your class this video to highlight some of the many adaptations desert plants have adopted over time.
Curated OER
African Beetles Beat the Heat in the Sahara Desert
Three thousand plant species light up Africa's Karoo Desert for merely two weeks of the year. Compare and contrast the Karoo geography with that of the Sahara to highlight the difference just a few extra centimeters of rain can have on a...
Curated OER
Plant Growth of Tropical Flowers in the Desert
Can you imagine the desert floor being covered by bright, vibrant flowers? Watch the desert plants transform from dry and crisp to dazzling and colorful in this video. Use as an introduction to desert pollination or to present the...
Curated OER
Desert Cacti
Did you know that the saguaro cactus can live for up to 200 hundred years? Learn more about this specialized cactus by showing this short, informational video clip set in the Sonoran Desert, the only desert where saguaros can live!
Curated OER
The Salt Desert Shrub Ecosystem
Take a peek at one of the harshest ecosystems in the world. Can you guess where it is? It's actually in Wyoming at the base of the Bighorn Mountains! Adapting to this harsh environment has been difficult, and only a few species are able...
Curated OER
Fighting for Survival in the Kalahari Desert, Africa
Follow the Damara mole rat underground as he excavates the wet sands of the Kalahari Desert. What does he eat? How does he survive in the harsh conditions of the desert? Find out with this informative video.