Glencoe Science Level Green

Unit 2: Earth’s Atmosphere and Beyond

Animal behaviors

Introduction:
A peacock displaying his colorful tail, a whale spending the winter months in the ocean off the coast of southern California, and a lizard seeking shade from the hot desert sun are all examples of animal behavior. Behavior is anything an animal does in response to a stimulus. A stimulus is an environmental change that directly influences the activity of an organism. The presence of a peahen stimulates a peacock to open its tail feathers and strut. Environmental cues, such as a change in day length, might be the stimulus that causes the whale to leave its summertime arctic habitat. Heat stimulates the lizard to seek shade. Is it possible that animals respond to changes in air pressure, temperature, winds, humidity, and precipitation? Meteorologists are able to predict the weather, because they use information provided by computers, satellites, and radars. Can animals use their own senses to predict weather? Research animal behavior. Use your research to discover if animals are able to predict the weather.

Task:
Working in pairs, you need to research folklore of animal behaviors that are reputed to predict the weather. You may choose to focus on a particular culture and those cultures proverbs, or demonstrate a variety of folk sayings from around the world. Your group collection of animal predictions could be used in a story form.

Time:
1 class periods to research animal behavior, 1 class period to write story

Possible Resources:

http://students.ou.edu/C/Beverly.J.Carter-1/Animalpre.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/animalspredict/talltales.html

http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/5057ce0c8397e666f5a77ee2a0017790,55a304092d09/1qx.html

http://www.pulseplanet.com/archive/Nov99/2007.html

http://weatherstories.ssec.wisc.edu/sayings/wind_west.html

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