Get ready to take the plunge! Science scholars go fishing with a brown pelican and see how it can withstand the impact of the water from a height of 40 feet. The narrator shows the birds in action and describes the physical adaptations that facilitate their flawless dives.

Concepts

birds, marine ecosystems, marine life, animal adaptations, flight, animal anatomy

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Pair the video with a lesson on avian anatomy
• Compare the pelican's adaptations with those of other fishing bird species such as the kingfisher
  

Classroom Considerations

• Review anatomical terms involving bones before watching the video

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Shows each physical adaptation and describes them in detail
• Underwater angles illustrate how pelicans capture prey while the pelican engages other body systems to slow down

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.9-10.2