Animals
All About Bears: Black, Grizzly, and Polar
Number: VC926 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 20 min.
This video explores the characteristics of the Black, Grizzly, and Polar Bears. From humorous
cubs, to huge grizzlies, this will keep your attention.
American Bald Eagle
Number: VC722 Grade Level: J/H Length: 16 min.
This video shows: selection of a nesting site, care of the eaglet, dangers the eaglet encounters,
feeding habits, banding of eaglets, other birds which share their territory, need for protection.
Animal Babies in the Wild
Number: VC1113 Grade Level: P Length: 30 min.
Baby animals from Africa to the Arctic are captured in this delightful video. Join the amusing
cast of animal characters as they entertain in these hilarious and tender-hearted stories and songs.
You'll meet some playful penguins, a beaver family, Calhoun the Raccoon, and other amusing
animals.
Animal Families: The Bee
Number: VC1213 Grade Level: P/I Length: 17 min.
Where does honey come from? A beehive not only provides a nest for the bees but is also a work
station for the production of honey. Hives are made of wax from the bee's own bodies. Bees
shape the wax into cells with the use of their jaws. The hive is a colony ruled by a Queen bee. If
one were to look inside a beehive, what would one find? First of all, one would find hundreds of
bees hard at work, crawling busily between rows of tiny, 6-sided rooms. these rows are a
honeycomb, where the workers store food. On another side of the hive is a nursery. The nursery
contains cells with young bees inside growing towards adulthood.
Animal Families: The Cat
Number: VC1211 Grade Level: P/I Length: 24 min.
A playful look at a favorite domesticated mammal, the cat. The program explains how cats are
among the most intelligent animals. All members of the cat family, the domesticated cats as well
as lions adn tigers, hunt other animals for food. Their sharp claws are hook-shaped and very
useful for hunting and climbing. When they climb, cats also take advantage of their amazing
balance and abilities to recover gracefully from falls. As the program demonstrates, cars are also
one of the cleanest animals; they spend hours a week cleaning their fur with their tongues.
Animal Families: The Chicken
Number: VC1216 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
This delightfully photographed program accompanies several young chickens as they hatch from
their shells and begin their curious explorations of their world...a small farm. Viewers are able to
learn how a mother hen treats her young offspring as they learn how to walk, how to eat and how
to use their very limited flying capacities. In addition, the program explains the basic life cycle of
the typical chicken and shows chickens interacting with other farm animals.
Animal Families: Dolphins and Whales
Number: VC1212 Grade Level: P/I Length: 17 min.
Dolphins and whales are related to each other. both animals are warm-blooded and have blowholes on the tops of their heads as an aid in breathing. Dolphins like to travel in groups called
"pods." Dolphins, like all mammals, nurse their young.
Viewers get a look at dolphins being taught to perform and do tricks. They are very intelligent
animals and learn many tricks that are entertaining to observe.
Some whales, such as the White Beluga, are very gentle creatures. The Beluga can be trained to
nod and even recognize color.
Another member of the whale family, the Killer Whale, is a carnivore that hunts and eats seals.
Killer Whales are known for their size and sharp teeth but can be seen as warm and affectionate
towards humans in an aquarium or park, where they are trained to perform amazing tricks.
Animal Families: The Frog
Number: VC1215 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
This program follows the complete life cycle of frogs in their natural habitat...from eggs to
tadpoles to adult frogs.
Animal Families: The Spider
Number: VC1208 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
Viewers of the carefully shot nature program are a ringside seat as a garden spider spins its web.
Its spinnerets provide it with threads of silky, sticky liquid which it attaches to plants, forming
the "spokes" of its web. Beginning with the center of the web, it then weaves several circles,
each one bigger than the one before. Though they look quite fragile, the web's silky threads are
incredibly strong for their size. A rope made of spider's silk would be far stronger than the same
size rope made of steel. The sticky substance coating the web holds in place unlucky insects who
happen to run into the web. Every time it rains, the sticky substance is washed away, and the
spider must build a new web. Garden spiders live on insects found in a garden, including many
harmful insects and even some that are larger than the spider. At first, when insects become
entangled in the web, they struggle futilely. But before long, the spider descends upon its prey
and wraps it tightly in a blanket of silk, preventing it from moving. Finally, to nourish itself, the
spider sucks our the insect's juices. To avoid becoming caught in its own web, a spider coats its
legs with an oily substance from its mouth. spiders look like insects, but they're really arachnids.
Insects have three main body parts, while arachnids have only two. Insects have six legs, while
arachnids have eight. In front of the legs are a pair of palpi, which a spider uses for feeling its
way.
Animal Families: The Swallow
Number: VC1209 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
This program offers a close-up view of a swallow family nesting in the rafters of a barn. An
assortment of mud, clay, straw, sticks, and stones make up the cozy nest. Viewers watch as the
mother settles in and sits patiently on her five eggs, leaving only to find food. The eggs are white
with dark spots. Swallows lay as many as nine or as few as three eggs. After the chicks hatch, the
camera follows their early development. When they are first born, their eyes are not fully formed
yet. Feathers also grow in after birth. both the mother and father take turns nourishing them,
preparing them for the day when they will take their first flight.
Animals at Home in the Desert: Living Desert Series
Number: VC262 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 23 min.
Show students the ways in which desert animals have adapted to the environment. Video
includes excellent footage on the peccary, roadrunner, tarantula, tortoise, and the chuckwalla.
Animals With Backbones
Number: VC263 Grade Level: I/J Length: 13 min.
Warm-blooded and cold blooded vertebrates are classified into five groups. Distinguishing
characteristics of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are explicated, including
reproduction, respiration, and other specialized body functions which help them adapt to a
specific temperature and environment.
Animals Without Backbones
Number: VC264 Grade Level: I/J Length: 13 min.
As you survey numerous underwater creatures, the narrator introduces the animals' characteristic
body structures and habitats. Inviting details of jellyfish, sea anemone, starfish, squid, octopus,
and various insects reveal the diversity of invertebrates.
Animals Without Backbones: The Invertebrate Story
Number: VC1325 Grade Level: I/J Length: 38 min.
Take your students on a tour of the invertebrates. come along on an expedition with Dr. Brian
Jerome as he visits such exciting locations as the Everglades, coral reefs, Okefenokee Swamp,
Atlantic beaches, coastal marshes and the Great Smoky Mountains in search of invertebrates "on
location" in their natural habitats. Totally curriculum-linked and based on the National Science
Standards, this middle school level video provides a complete survey of the major invertebrate
phyla.
Antarctic Wildlife Adventure
Number: VC1159 Grade Level: J/H Length: 60 min.
Set sail with a family of real-life explorers for the most remote and starkly beautiful continent on
earth, Antarctica. Aboard the 50-foot schooner Damien II, a husband-wife naturalist team and
their three sons will guide you on the voyage of a lifetime. Rocky coasts, azure blue seas, and
magnificent towering icebergs set the backdrop for a wide variety of wildlife as you navigate
south through the islands of the pristine Antarctic peninsula. From the deck of the small craft you
will see humpback whales perform a graceful underwater ballet. And while on shore you will
mingle with three species of penguins as well as marvel at young elephant seals at play.
Ants (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1632 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
There are at least ten thousand species of ants, all with different lifestyles, social behavior and
appearances. In this program, Dr. Art demonstrates how to make a formicarium—an artificial
ant nest that allows students to observe how ants live, work and behave daily. (Close-Captioned)
Aquatic Insects (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1633 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
Dragonflies and damselflies, water-striders and backswimmers—these are just a few of the
amazing aquatic insects presented in this program that shows how thousands of species of insects
have adapted for life in the world of water. Dr. art provides tips on collecting and keeping
aquatic insects and then demonstrates how to make an aqua-scope through which students can
observe these fascinating water-dwellers. (Close-Captioned)
Autumn Comes to the Forest
Number: VC1225 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
Leaves on trees turn from green to vivid shades of rust and gold until they finally fall to the
forest floor. Nuts, fruits and seeds also drop from the trees to be gathered up by the squirrels and
other animals who will save them for their meals. Many birds are preparing for their winter
migration and many mammals are finding burrows in which to reside during the winter months.
Baby Animals Just Want to Have Fun
Number: VC1114 Grade Level: P Length: 30 min.
A child's favorite baby animals are featured in this collection of five fun-filled adventure tales
that combine live photography with enchanting stories and songs. Join Raindance the pony, Peter
puppy, Hortence Fuzzwuffle rabbit and friends for mischief and animal fun that children 2-8 will
watch.
Baby Animals on the Farm
Number: VC1694 Grade Level: P
Length: 30 min.
This video features an up-close look at the world of farm animals.
Baby Farm Animals and Friends
Number: VC1674 Grade Level: P
Length: 30 min.
Join Teddy and his pal, Bunny, in their fun-filled day of adventure as they discover the world of
Baby Farm Animals. You’ll meet Brownie the calf, Katie the kitten, Thimble the bunny, Arnold
the piglet, Lightning the colt and so many more. See them in their natural beauty as they run and
play in a wondrous farm setting. (0402)
Backyard Bugs
Number VC20 Grade Level: P Length 15 min.
Journey into your own backyard and look at the multitude of tiny creatures living there. Find a
variety of bugs under rocks, in the grass, and on leaves. (1205)
Beetle, Dolphins & Whales, The Ant
Number: VC1116 Grade Level: P/I Length: 33 min.
The Beetle: Be amazed as a brand new adult beetle breaks out of its hard shell. their strong jaws
enable them to burrow into trees and gather their food. Watch these armored insects as they
battle it out!
Dolphins & Whales: Explore the world of dolphins and whales. Dolphins are playful, intelligent
mammals that travel in pods and nurse their young. Their relatives, the whale, vary from the
gentle white beluga, to the carnivorous killer whale.
The Ant: Observe a working ant colony, as it depends on the strong jaws and saw-like teeth of
its worker ants to gather food and build under ground tunnels. Learn all about this very
cooperative clan.
Bees (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1634 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
From the queen bee to the worker bee, this program shows exactly why bees are so busy—and
why we should appreciate them. As they gather food, bees pollinate plants and allow them to
grow for another season. Some types of bees create extraordinary nests of honeycomb in which
they lay eggs and store honey. A riveting display by Dr. Norman Gary shows bees in their egg,
larval and pupal stages—and even shows a newborn hatching! Later, Dr. Art Evans explains
how to make a bee’s next with plastic straws. (Close-Captioned)
Beetles (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1635 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
There are over 350,000 types of beetles identified by scientists. Revered by the ancient
Egyptians as well as other cultures, beetles have a unique role on the planet as the recycling
agents for decaying matter. In this program, Dr. Art demonstrates how to make a beetle habitat
by setting up a colony of meal worms (the larval form of darling beetles), allowing students to
observe the complete metamorphosis of these insects. (Close-Captioned)
Beyond the Bars: Zoos and Zoo Animals
Number: VC553 & VC1242 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
This video takes its young viewers to the Philadelphia Zoo - the oldest zoo in America, and also
one of the largest. Apart from the sheer variety of its inhabitants - more than 1600 animals in all the Philadelphia Zoo is notable for its continuing efforts to recreate the natural habitats of the
animals it displays.
Big Green Caterpillar
Number: VC72 Grade Level: P Length: 10 min.
The purpose of the film is to depict the development of a caterpillar. To define the relationship
between different forms of life. To illustrate some physical characteristics that make adaptation
to an environment possible.
Bird
Number: VC985 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
How does a bird fly? What does it really mean to "eat like a bird"? Soar through the sky and
around the world in this exciting journey from the bird's distant dinosaur past to its present
astonishing variety. Look close-up at the staggering range of sizes, shapes, and habitats of these
feathered creatures, and experience the miracle of flight.
Birds
Number: VC1261 Grade Level: P Length: 10 min.
Birds are shown nesting, caring for their young, flying and moving on the ground. Their feathers
and other physical characteristics are examined in fascinating detail. Music, diagrams, and vivid
animal photography help children learn and remember. Words are superimposed to reinforce the
primary reading curriculum.
Birds of Prey, Alphabet Zoop #7
Number: VC142 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals
Bluebirds...Bring Them Back
Number: VC534 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 20 min.
The Eastern Bluebird, the Mountain Bluebird, and the Western Bluebird needs everyone's help to
survive. These beautiful birds will steal your heart as you watch them struggle against many odds
to find nesting places to raise their young.
Buffalo Still Roam
Number: VC126 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 20 min.
For millions of years the buffalo roamed much of North America, surviving harsh environments
and providing life sustenance for the plains Indians. After near extinction, the buffalo do still
roam on limited ranges in several States and Canadian Provinces.
Butterflies and Moths (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1636 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
Butterflies and moths are beautiful and delicate, yet some, like monarch butterflies, are strong
enough to fly hundreds of miles in their yearly migration. This program explores interesting
facts about both types of insects, explains their amazing metamorphosis and shows how to tell
them apart. In the studio, Dr. Art and Christina examine monarch caterpillars and build a
caterpillar habitat in order to watch them transform into butterflies. (Close-Captioned)
Butterfly
Number: VC729 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 8 min.
Viewers will: generalize about butterflies through exposure to the life cycle of a specific
butterfly - the monarch; understand the successive stages of metamorphosis; learn about the
navigational ability and endurance of the monarch butterfly.
California Condor
Number: VC227 Grade Level: J/H Length: 60 min.
When this Audubon special program was filmed, there were only six California condors living in
the wild - now there are none. In captivity, however, over twenty survive. Audubon finds this
magnificent creature in its natural habitat - flying high over the Santa Ynez Mts. of southern
California.
Cat
Number: VC986 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
Can a cheetah outrun a sports car? Did cats help defeat the ancient Egyptians in battle? Follow
the fascinating and ancient journey of these mysterious and adored animals from the African
Savanna to the modern home. Investigating evolution, anatomy, habitat, behavior, and more.
Eyewitness Cat lets you discover the secret life of the cat family.
Chick Chick Chick
Number: VC974 Grade Level: P Length: 9 min.
This is about chicks, chickens and the intense drama of an old-fashioned barnyard -- great fun.
Chimpanzees, Alphabet Zoop #3
Number: VC138 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals.
Cicadas: The 17-Year Invasion
Number: VC1042 Grade Level: K-6 Length: 15 min.
Most insects have a short life cycle. Cicadas take seventeen years to complete theirs. The eggs
are laid in small holes in tree branches. When the eggs hatch, the young nymphs fall to the
ground. They burrow underground and live by sucking sap from tree roots. Exactly seventeen
years later, they emerge and must climb a tree before they transform into adults and mate.
Viewers will learn how researches determine the number of cicada nymphs that will emerge
every seventeen years, and how their life cycle is so unique.
Concepts In Nature Series: Adapting to Changes in Nature
Number: VC1037 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
The world of nature is always changing. This program explains how animals cope with both the
routine and unpredictable changes that nature brings, from the changing seasons, to changes in
climate, to destruction of habitats. Fascinating footage of deer, a great horned owl, rabbits and
bears helps viewers understand why some animals seem to adapt to change better than others.
Finally, the role that humans play in creating change is questioned and analyzed from different
points of view.
Concepts In Nature Series: Animal Predators and the Balance of Nature
Number: VC1038 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
Predators come in all shapes and sizes. This program uses incredible wildlife photography to
show various types of predators that exist, and explains the complex relationship between
predator, prey and nature. Students learn the difference between omnivores, carnivores, and
herbivores, and examples of each are shown, Factors that help maintain nature's balance,
including disease and competition, are covered as well, helping the students to understand
exactly how bears, lions, frogs, insects, sparrows, even people, play a role in maintaining nature's
delicate balance.
Concepts In Nature Series: Instincts in Animals
Number: VC1039 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
How does a spider know how to spin a web? How does a bird know how to fly? This program
provides an easy-to-understand explanation of what instincts are, and describes how instincts
direct animals through their lives. Beautiful footage of mourning doves, hares, ground squirrels,
deer, foxes and bears helps demonstrate the instincts these animals have, and the difference
between instincts and learned behavior. Students learn that from migration to hunting for food,
instincts help animals survive.
Concepts In Nature Series: Why Do Animals Look the Way They Do?
Number: VC1040 Grade Level: P/I Length: 14 min.
The animal world is full of strange but wonderful creatures, each one unique in its own way.
Students are given a closer look at such animals as elephants, humming birds, barn owls,
porcupines and walking sticks through close-up footage, and learn that even the most unusual
creature has a purpose to its design. Whether adapting to the environment, taking advantage of a
resource, or avoiding competition, this program clearly explains the reasons that animals look the
way they do-to help them survive.
Cows!
Number: VC975 Grade Level: P Length: 9 min.
This video shows beauty-filled exploration of cows: the texture of noses, the shapes of bodies,
grinding of jaws, swishing of tails.
Creatures of the Sea
Number: VC1167 Grade Level: I Length: 30 min.
This video contains outstanding nature footage covering all areas of the natural world. It shows
the relationships of animals in the wild to each other and to their environment.
Crickets, Grasshoppers and Friends (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1637 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
This program reveals the incredible jumping, chirping and camouflaging skills of crickets,
grasshoppers and katydids, as well as other related insects like the praying mantis and the
walking stick. Dr. Art shows students how to make a cricket habitat and provides instruction on
where to find crickets, what to feed them and what to expect from a pet cricket. (CloseCaptioned)
Dinosaur
Number: VC988 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
How do paleontologists discover a new dinosaur about every seven weeks? Why did the dinosaur
disappear? Become a paleontologist and piece together the facts behind these real-life monsters.
Experience the process of discovery from start to finish, the excitement of digging,
reconstruction, and the realization of what dinosaurs might actually have looked like.
Dinosaurs
Number: VC545 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
A group of children are on a field trip to the Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, in Drumheller,
Alberta. They see skeletons of Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. They meet a
paleontologist who introduces them to some of the fossils in the museum: where they are found,
how they are found, how they are removed from the rock, how they are reconstructed and some
interesting facts about a few dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs! A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time!
Number: VC682 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
This video is broken down into 5 parts: Albertosaurus Hunt, Tour of Museum Skeletons,
Discussion with Paleontologists, Visit to Paleonconservatory, and "Dinosaur Bone Song".
Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals
Number: VC1260 Grade Level: P,I Length: 32 min.
Journey back to the Mesozoic Era in this program that presents the different kinds of dinosaurs,
emphasizing the various groups and sub-groups, variations in feeding habits and size, and the
period in which each animal lived. Some of the contemporary disputes surrounding the exact
classification of dinosaurs and reasons for their disappearance are also explored.
Dog
Number: VC987 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
Which canine ancestors helped found a great city? Which sense dominates a dog's life? Track the
transformation of these wild pack animals into today's popular and loyal pets. Discover the wolf
connections that give dogs their hunting, courting, mating, and social traits, and find out what a
dog's life is really all about.
Dogs
Number: VC978 Grade Level: P Length: 15 min.
The essence of dogness is illustrated by the rhythms and sounds, the ways of relating and
communicating that are special to dogs. This is a sensitive visual and auditory experience.
Earth's Natural Resources
Number: VC1279 Grade Level: I Length: 15 min.
Air, Water, and Soil Resources
This video takes an in-depth look at why air, water, and soil are such vital resources and why we
should not take them for granted. The concept of renewable and non renewable resources is
introduced. The program discusses the gasses that make up air and explains the oxygen/carbon
dioxide cycle between people and plants. The water cycle and the process of erosion and soil
formation are also explained. The program goes on to discuss how the growth of human
population and the misuse of technology have contributed to air, water, and soil pollution. some
solutions to these problems, such as conservation, recycling, and sanitary landfills, are cited. The
program ends with a discussion of acid rain, ozone depletion, and the green house effect.
However, it stresses the importance of government, industry, and private citizens working
together to find solutions to these global environmental problems.
Wildlife Resources
This video opens by showing examples of wildlife of endangered species, as well as the more
commonplace plants and animals, in order to make the point that they are all valuable natural
resources. Although wildlife resources are important for many reasons, perhaps, the most
important one is the interdependence of every plant and animal and the role it plays in helping to
maintain the balanced living systems of the earth. The program goes on to define the terms
ecosystem, habitat, and niche. The concept of producers and consumers is discussed, and
examples of a food chain and food web are illustrated. The program describes some of the
reasons wildlife becomes extinct or endangered, and what implications this has for the
ecosystem. Conservation, environmental laws, wilderness areas, refuges, and parks are shown as
examples of ways to protect our wildlife resources.
Ecology For Beginners: Plants and Animals Depend on Each Other
Number: VC1222 Grade Level: P Length: 12 min.
All animals depend on plants for food. Some eat plants: a sloth eats leaves, a mouse chews seeds
and a moth drinks juice from fruit. Others, like cheetahs, lizards and snakes, eat animals that eat
plants. In addition to food, animals depend on plants for oxygen. Plants put vital oxygen into the
air when they make their own food, while using the carbon dioxide that animals, in turn, breathe
out.
Plants also depend on animals, and on other plants. Millipedes and earthworms help plants by
digesting dead materials and adding the residue to the soil. Some plants help other plants by
providing support that lets them grow up to light. A few plants depend directly on animals for
food, by trapping and killing them.
Plants and animals also depend on each other to help them reproduce. A hummingbird flits from
flower to flower, carrying pollen. Monkeys and woodpeckers carry seeds to places where they
can grow. Weaver birds and armadillos collect grass to line their nests.
Elephant
Number: VC989 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
How do we know elephants have long memories? How does an elephant pick up a peanut? Trace
the impressive history of the greatest mammal to walk the Earth. Through war, pageantry,
agriculture, and exploration, the elephant has developed a unique relationship with humankind
and become one of the most cherished, yet endangered, animals in the world.
Elephant, Alphabet Zoop #5
Number: VC140 Grade Level: P/I Length: 13 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals.
Fall: Through the Seasons With Birds Series
Number : VC1035 Grade Level: P Length: 14 min.
Fall brings many changes for all kinds of birds. In this program, young viewers learn about
migration, and how birds are able to navigate their way south for the winter. The process of
moulting is explained, and compared to getting new warm clothes for school. Viewers see
hawks, turkey vultures, and goldfinches, and learn that some birds do not migrate-like wild
turkeys.
Farm Animals
Number: VC1157 Grade Level: P Length: 30 min.
See how the barnyard is a perfect playground for chickens, pigs, calves, & lambs as they frolic
toward young adulthood. Nature at its best and its most head-over-heels adorable! See the first
hours of life, the first shaky steps into a wondrous world. The camera allows you to be right there
and animated examples show how each animal grows in a way even very young children can
understand and enjoy.
Fish
Number: VC990 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
Why is the fish a god in some cultures? Which prehistoric monster fish is still alive? Dive into
the waters of the world and discover the most exotic creatures in nature. Take the plunge from
dazzling coral reefs to the darkest depths to meet fish, a vast and varied group of animals, much
closer to humankind than you might think.
Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles
Number: VC1244 Grade Level: P/I Length: 16 min.
These three vertebrate groups have been grouped together because of their connection to water
and the fact that they are each cold-blooded. Life evolved from the water of our earth's oceans.
Fish were some of the higher forms of ocean life. The first land animals (amphibians) were still
dependent on water to lay their eggs and raise their young. Reptiles are animals that can live in
water but are mostly land animals.
Flies and Mosquitoes (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1638 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
Masters of flying, flies have only two wings (compared to four on many other insects) but still
manage to move incredibly fast. Mosquitoes are a slender, delicate type of fly best knows for
their habit of biting. From houseflies to fruit flies, this program explains the complete four-stage
metamorphosis, the predators of flies and the “benefits” of maggots. A studio demonstration
shows how to make a fruit fly trap and how to raise fruit flies. (Close-Captioned)
Gentle Giants of the Pacific
Number: VC239 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 60 min.
Whales are the largest creatures ever to live on earth - larger even than the dinosaurs - and this
unique record of humpback whales provides a rare look at these awesome monsters up close.
Humpbacks are the singing whales, and in the warm tropic waters off Hawaii, scientists seek to
understand the mysteries of their strange and haunting songs. In the remote, nutrient-rich waters
off Glacier Bay, Alaska, they gorge themselves on tons of minute shrimp-like creatures in one of
the most astonishing feeding frenzies ever recorded.
Golden Monkeys, Alphabet Zoop #1
Number: VC136 Grade Level: P/I Length: 13 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals.
Great Blue Heron Story, The
Number: VC151 Grade Level: J/H Length: 20 min.
High in the tree tops, heron nests sway with every breeze and provide a setting for this intimate
film that examines the life of the Great Blue Heron. The camera records significant events in the
heron's life from spring through summer.
Great Whales, The
Number: VC74 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 60 min.
Once feared and hunted almost to extinction, the whale now commands worldwide attention.
Join scientists and conservationists as they study and document the anatomy, communication,
and migratory patterns of a variety of whale species, including killer, pilot, and humpback
whales. The Great Whales also looks at the birth of a killer whale and how captive whales
participate in scientific experiments.
Greater Sandhill Crane Story
Number: VC245 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 16 min.
This video is an entertaining, beautiful and scientifically accurate study of the life history of the
Greater Sandhill Crane. You will follow the intimate story of a pair of cranes courting, nesting
and rearing their young.
Grizzly Bears, Alphabet Zoop #10
Number: VC145 Grade Level: P/I Length: 9 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals.
Habitats
Number: VC1283 Grade Level: P,I Length: 36 total min.
Life Underground Length: 9 min.
This part of the video introduces students to the lively world beneath our feet. Students will hear
and view the story of a young rabbit and his family. They will learn about how rabbits and other
animals make their homes underground. Students will also learn that familiar plants like the
carrot and the onion grow underground. Students will realize that useful, nonliving things such as
coal and oil are found beneath the ground.
Life on the Land Length: 9 min.
This segment of the video is a wonderful story of a young tree that is transplanted in the forest.
The small tree is very frightened at first. With the help of a mature tree, the young tree
overcomes its fears and learns that the forest is where it belongs after all. While viewing this
program, students will learn about various plants and animals that make the forest their home.
Using photographs to extend the learning, they will also see how plants and animals thrive on the
land.
Life in the Sea Length: 10 min.
This section tells the story of a fish named Salmon and of all the wonderful things he sees on his
way to the sea. Great Salmon, the young salmon's teacher, teaches him about the creatures that
live in the sea. He warns Salmon to stay away from many dangers in the sea. Students will be
introduced to the wonderful habitat beneath the sea. Using photographs that extend this
illustrated story, they will learn about the coral reef and some of its inhabitants, polyps, sea
horses, sponges and other exciting creatures.
Life in the Air Length: 8 min.
This section is the story of a baby bird that learns to fly. Once the young bird is able to fly, it
travels near and far to discover other creatures and sights of the air. Students will learn that
wings make animals of the air uniquely suited for this habitat. Using photographs of animals in
their natural habitats, they will also lean some interesting facts about creatures like the eagle and
the fly.
Habitats and Dependence
Number: VC1054 Grade Level: I/J Length: 20 min.
Almost every piece of land, from Africa to the Artic, is habitat for some species of animal.
Although each animal is different, their needs are the same: food, shelter, and a safe area to raise
their young. A habitat must provide these things in order to be hospitable. Within each
environment there also exists an interdependence among plants and animals, a relationship that is
sensitive to man's encroachment. man's development of the land injures the environment through
pollution and deforestation, among other things. This devastation will only hurt humanity, for, as
is shown here, mankind is not totally removed from the earth's ecosystem.
Horse
Number: VC991 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
Why does a zebra have stripes? Why is a horseshoe considered lucky? Enter the equine world
through this intriguing introduction to both wild and domesticated horses. Look at the ancient
links between horse and humankind, and decide for yourself if we have really conquered the
horse or if its wild instincts are as strong as ever.
House and Backyard Insects (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1639 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
Most everyone has seen them buzzing around the house or crawling around outside—insects
such as cockroaches, fleas, termites, snails, slugs and earthworms are part of everyday life. This
program describes the habits of many of these creatures and how they affect humans. Ways to
cockroach-proof your house are discussed, and Dr. Art presents a technique used to find small
insects living down in the soil and leaf litter right in your own backyard. (Close-Captioned)
How Are Animals Alike and Different
Number: VC803 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min.
Entry level information.
How Do Animals Grow?
Number: VC805 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min.
Entry level information.
Insect
Number: VC992 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
How do insect wings work? Just how big can a bug grow? Older than the dinosaurs, and
outnumbering people 250 million to one, insects are nevertheless avoided and ignored. Here, you
can safely examine the wonders of the insect world through macrophotography and startling 3-D
graphics that reveal the true importance of these amazing, industrious creatures.
Insect Disguises
Number: VC1043 Grade Level: K-6 Length: 15 min.
Insects are the most common animals on the surface of the Earth. Although scientists have names
more than one million species, they think there may be more than fifty million different types of
insects. Insects are so small that they have developed unique ways of escaping from predators.
Some look dangerous. Others blend into their surroundings. Sometimes these disguises work. At
other times, the insect provides food for another animal--proving that these methods of predation
don't always work.
Insects
Number: VC1218 Grade Level: P/I Length: 12 min.
After viewing this live-action video and participating in the lesson activities, the students should
be able to do the following: describe the body parts of an insect, define metamorphosis, describe
some of the harm insects can cause, describe some of the benefits that insects provide for nature
and humans.
Insects and Spiders
Number: VC1217 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
See how plants provide the secret world that insects and spiders need to hatch, find food and
survive to young adulthood.
Junior Oceanographer
Number: VC1324 Grade Level: P/I Length: All 4 vary
The Lure of the Sea Length: 15 min.
From the earliest explorers of the seas to modern oceanographers, the oceans have intrigued
humans. Vehicles used for exploration of the earth's waterways probably first began as dugout
logs. Today sophisticated robots explore the highly pressurized dark depths of the ocean floor.
Where the Water Meets the Land Length: 14 min.
The ocean is in constant motion. Persistent waves have the power to move sand, destroy
property, and cut into solid rock. The powerful gravitational forces of the earth, sun, and moon
cause the whole ocean to raise and fall. A myriad of plants and animals living in rocky tide pools
have strategically adapted themselves to live in this dynamic world of land and sea.
Oceans, Weather, and Climate Length: 15 min.
Water helps people and all living things on earth stay alive. Almost all of the water on this planet
is stored in the oceans. The water cycle begins with the oceans and affects our planet's weather
and climate.
The Life In the Sea Length: 17 min.
There is a multitude of ocean life and a variety of ocean environments. Each life form is uniquely
adapted to its own environment. From fish to marine mammals, from plankton to penguins, from
sea stars to sea weed, the ocean is home to many.
Kids Discover Bats
Number: VC49 Grade Level: P
Length: 22 min.
This video combines over 20 minutes of exciting live-action footage of bates with clever
animation to bring the little-known world of these incredible animals into your classroom. Kids
will discover that there are more than 1,000 kinds of bats. They will enjoy learning that bats are
not the scary bad guys of Halloween legends, but instead are our gentle, helpful friends. (01/09)
Ladybugs and Fireflies (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1640 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
Two of the most popular members of the insect world are ladybugs and fireflies. The colorful
ladybug provides pest control by eating insects that would feed on flowers, vegetables and fruits.
Another favorite, the firefly is a type of beetle that can produce its own light source, done in an
effort to attract a mate. In the studio, Dr. Art discusses theses complex, blinking insects and in
an experiment, tries to replicate the bursts of light that fireflies produce. (Close-Captioned)
Legacy for a Loon
Number: VC146 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 20 min.
The common loon is a bird of the northern lake country of North America; its eerie haunting call
is a sound synonymous with wilderness. The exquisite beauty of this bird makes this film a
visual treat while it is also a scientifically accurate documentary on the behavior and life history
of the common loon. Included are scenes of courtship, nest building, incubation, spectacular
territorial defense, egg hatching and other animals that are part of the loons environment.
Life & Death on the Great Barrier Reef
Number: VC610 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 55 min.
The mightiest edifice on Earth isn't the Great Wall or the pyramids. In fact, it wasn't built by man
at all, but by hordes of tiny coral polyps off the coast of Australia. Countless millions of these
have left behind deposits that form the Great Barrier Reef. Hundreds of miles long, the Reef is a
lush underwater garden where appearances are deceptive - what seem to be plants are really
animals and vice versa.
Life of the Bighorn Sheep, Great Animal Stories
Number: VC152 Grade Level: J/H Length: 20 min.
This video takes a look at the life history of the Rocky Mountain Bighorn beginning with the
lambs born in spring on a protected rocky cliff. It also shows cracking heads of the huge full curl
rams as they battle for dominance in the breeding season.
Living Ocean
Number: VC981 Grade Level: I/J Length: 28 min.
Marine biologist Stefani Hewlett takes us through the Vancouver Aquarium where we meet and
learn about whales, sea otters, the giant octopus and baby seals being reared for reintroduction
into the ocean. At the Royal Ontario Museum, scientists study the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish
thought to be extinct sixty-five million years ago, yet caught off the coast of Madagascar in
1938. An how can the tiny codworm, completing its life cycle in the grey seal, stir up so much
controversy? The segments in this video are: dolphins and belugas; coelacanth; marine
mammals: sea otters; codworm life cycle; octopus, and baby seals.
Living Things: How Plants and Animals Work
Number: VC1498 Grade Level: P/I Length: 8 min.
How do animals move? How do animals get their food? Can plants move? How do plants protect
themselves?
Looking for Animals
Number: VC804 Grade Level: P/I Length: 7 min
Entry level information.
Mammals
Number: VC1118 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
This video answers questions children ask about mammals. Included are questions such as: Why
are whales considered mammals? Can seals live underwater? What is a dolphin? Why does the
kangaroo have a pouch? Do polar bears hibernate? Why do elephants have big ears? Why do bats
hang upside down? Is the chimpanzee a monkey?
Monarch & the Milkweed, The
Number: VC754 Grade Level: I/J Length: 13 min.
Students will: learn something about the milkweed plant, the monarch butterfly, and other insects
which participate in the reproductive cycle of the milkweed; learn about the close, complex
interrelationships between these insects and this plant, and in so doing, begin to understand how
plants and animals interrelate in a natural environment.
Musk Oxen, Alphabet Zoop #6
Number: VC141 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals.
Ocean Life
Number: VC1173 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
This video contains outstanding nature footage covering all areas of the natural world. It shows
the relationships of animals in the wild to each other and to their environment. Children will be
both entertained and educated by this view of the wonderful would of "Nature".
The Octopus, the Crab, the Crayfish
Number: VC28 Grade Level: P Length: 33 min.
*The sequence of the 3 sections does not follow the sequence in the title. The sequence is as
follows and each section is about 11 minutes long.
1) The Octopus--Study the gills of the octopus that allow them to breathe and the suction cups
that enable them to move along, climb, and snatch up prey. See newborn hatchlings immediately
leave their mother to begin a life of independence.
2) The Crayfish--Crayfish look very much like their larger saltwater relatives, the lobster. See
how this freshwater dweller walks about with extended claws, ever ready to grab food or protect
himself.
3) The Crab--The crab is an animal that is covered with a hard shell that protects its soft body
from harm. This program shows the crab in its natural habitat--its behavior, predators and prey.
(1205)
Orangutans, Alphabet Zoop #9
Number: VC144 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals.
Panthers & Cheetahs, On the Edge of Extinction
Number: VC228 Grade Level: J/H Length: 22 min.
Audubon takes you on the edge of extinction with two of the world's most endangered big cats:
the Florida panther and the African cheetah. See these magnificent creatures in the panther's wild
home in the Florida Everglades and the cheetah's natural surrounding on the plains of East
Africa.
Pelicans Pelican Pelicans
Number: VC710 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 20 min.
This video is an essay on the two species of pelicans found in North America, the coastal nesting
browns and the inland nesting whites. Brown pelicans may be found along the Gulf of Mexico
and southern California coasts year around and as far north as Maryland and Oregon in the
summer. White pelicans nest in freshwater lake country from Utah to Yellowstone National Park
to the prairies of central United States and Canada but winter further south even to the Gulf
waters of Florida and Texas.
Pigs!
Number: VC976 Grade Level: P Length: 9 min.
As the day dawns on a farm, a timid sparrow discovers bulky shapes, sounds of heavy breathing.
Blimp-like shapes arise, Pigs! Faces, tails, and personalities of pigs are shown.
Polar Bears, Alphabet Zoop #2
Number: VC137 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals.
Pond Animals
Number: VC1158 Grade Level: P Length: 30 min.
See how the world in and around a pond dilights a dragonfly, frog, duck, and salamander as they
celebrate their passage to young adulthood.
Predators of the Desert: The Living Desert Series
Number: VC411 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 22 min.
This dramatic view of the continual struggle for survival in the desert depicts nature's forces with
total candor and uncompromising realism.
Reptile
Number: VC994 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
Why do lizards sunbathe? How can a snake swallow an egg whole? Experience the alien world
of these cold-blooded vertebrates, learning the truth about these often misunderstood creatures
and uncovering reptilian facts that are stranger than fiction.
Ring-Tailed Lemurs
Number: VC139 Grade Level: P/I Length: 9 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals.
Save the Panda
Number: VC77 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 60 min.
High in the bamboo forested mountain ranges of central China lives the elusive and endangered
giant panda. Over time, their numbers have dwindled due to human encroachment and climatic
changes. Join scientists as they track these rare creatures through nearly impenetrable bamboo in
an effort to learn more about the panda and ultimately increase its chances of survival.
Seasons of the Elk
Number: VC150 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 20 min.
This video examines with accuracy, beauty and intimacy the life story of elk through four
seasons. It shows majestic mountains that are the elk's habitat and the animals that share it.
Seasons of the White-Tailed Deer
Number: VC573 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 20 min.
This video describes the life of a deer, his habitat and characteristics.
Secrets of the Ant and Insect World: Secrets of Life Series
Number: VC428 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 13 min.
Microphotography allows a revealing look at the highly structured, specialized ant society.
Watch as ants work in regimented groups to gather and store food, carve out underground
communities, and protect themselves against attack.
Secrets of the Underwater World: Secrets of Life Series
Number: VC431 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 16 min.
Introduce students to life beneath the water's surface with this video that examines the curious
habits of those animals that inhabit tidal fringes, fresh water, and shallow seas.
Shark
Number: VC995 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 35 min.
Do sharks deserve their vicious reputation? How can a shark swim without a bone in its body?
Peer into the murky world of the shark and learn what motivates these fascinating creatures.
Discover a shark that can fit in your hand and a shark that eats only plankton, and learn that not
all sharks are killing machines.
Sharks
Number: VC238 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 60 min.
Sharks - the sleek, beautiful and deadly hunters of the deep - have frightened and fascinated
people from earliest times. They seem to have a special hold on our imaginations, and to touch
some primitive chord of terror in the dark corners of our minds. It documents the efforts of
scientists to better understand these extraordinary killers, and to learn more of their behavior.
Sheep Crossing
Number: VC1692
Grade Level: P/I
Length: 26 min.
With on-location footage of farms and fairs throughout New England, children explore the world
of sheep and wool The video features children working with young lambs, border collies at
work and a visit to spinneries to discover how yarn is made.
Sheep, Sheep, Sheep
Number: VC977 Grade Level: P Length: 15 min.
Moods, rhythms and images of sheep are shown on this video. Grazing sheep, a river of soft
wool, shuffle, gather, chew their cud, sleep, and ewes call their lambs.
Snakes, Scorpions and Spiders: Animals and Plants of North America Series
Number: VC438 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 15 min.
The short grass prairie is also home for three of man's most feared and misunderstood creatures -
snakes, scorpions, and spiders. Snakes emerge from winter dens to mate and give birth;
scorpions battle ants and eat crickets, carrying offspring on their backs; and wolf, pumping,
craw, and black widow spiders populate the prairie.
Spider: Animal Families Series
Number: VC1208 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
Joins a spider as it spins its web and explains the uses for this web. Your students will learn the
differences between a spider and other insects and how a spider eats.
Spiders
Number: VC1185 Grade Level: P/I Length: 30 min.
The spider's web is its home and hunting ground for food. Explore the activities of the orb web
spider, how it uses the silk it produces, and its eating habits. The diving spider, which lives its
entire life underwater, is also shown in detail in this video.
Spiders and Scorpions (Bug City Series)
Number: VC1641 Grade Level: 1-6 Length: 23 min.
Found in virtually every climate and habitat, spiders are arachnids (not insects), and this program
examines all facets of spider life—webs and the spider’s use of silk, eating habits, growth and
molting, mating habits and care of the young. Scorpions, resembling miniature lobsters, are
relatives of the spider and they each possess a poisonous stinger. The program reviews the
lifestyle of scorpions and later presents tips on creating a spider habitat for common house or
garden spiders. (Close-Captioned)
Spreading the Pollen
Number: VC1046 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
Flowers live all over the world. Each species has a unique color, shape and smell. Flowers also
use different ways to spread their pollen. They depend on the wind, bees, butterflies, moths, birds
and other animals. In return, animals depend on the flowers for food. Viewers will learn several
unique adaptations that force insects to pick up pollen from one flower and deposit it on another,
and be able to recognize the interdependence of plants and animals.
Spring: Through the Seasons With Birds Series
Number: VC1033 Grade Level: P Length: 14 min.
Spring means the return of migrating birds, the building of nets, and the starting of families.
Viewers are able to see a wide variety of birds in this program, and learn how and when they lay
their eggs, build their nests, claim their territories, and sing their songs. Warblers, hawks, geese,
great horned owls, and robins are all shown enjoying the spring season.
Spring Comes to the Forest
Number: VC1224 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
The Spring sun melts the winter snow and buds uncurl, until the forest floor is overcome with
flowers. Animals are once again in sight. Birds return from their winter migration, mammals
come out of hibernation and other animals emerge from their protective homes. They emerge to
mate and bear young. Delightful scenes of baby animals will charm a young audience. Especially
appealing are the scenes of baby opossums riding on their mother's back and of fox cubs
frolicking.
Summer: Through the Seasons With Birds Series
Number: VC1034 Grade Level: P Length: 14 min.
Summer is an easy season for birds. Thanks to the sun, food from plants is plentiful, and insects
abound. This program shows a wide variety of birds enjoying the summer, including
hummingbirds, baby hawks, and mourning doves. Viewers will see the different ways that birds
keep cool, and the many kinds of nests that they build.
Tadpoles, Dragonflies, and the Caterpillar's Big Change
Number: VC27 Grade Level: P Length: 35 min.
GeoKids puppets learn about metamorphosis (a big change). They look at the following
animals: caterpillar, tadpole, salamander, koala, dragonfly, and mosquito. (1205)
Trumpeter Swans Return
Number: VC232 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 20 min.
In the wildlife paradise of North America before the population of humans pushed into it, the
trumpeter swans were wide spread, nesting through Northern areas and wintering from the East
and West Coasts to the Gulf areas. By 1933 the trumpeter swan in the lower 48 states was
thought to be on the brink of extinction when less than 100 remained. Now a large flock of 500
to 600 swans live in areas of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho.
Two Little Owls, Great Animal Stories
Number: VC784 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 20 min.
This video shares a nest-side vigil watching the everyday events, neighbors, and growth of two
young great horned owl chicks as their parents care for them.
Wetlands, We Need Them
Number: VC927 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 20 min.
A wetlands study is a wonderful base from which to meet many interdisciplinary objectives.
Concepts in this video include energy flow (food chains), life cycles, seasonal changes, habitats,
and relating wildlife needs to conservation. Each of these concepts can be worked into
curriculum requirements for science, language arts and geography as well as being useful for
pre-field trip presentation and inviting guest speakers on wetlands.
Whale Watching: Orange County Marine Institute
Number: VC1492 Grade Level: I Length: 28 min.
Children go on exciting, fun-filled real life Field Trip invites school aged children to go on a
special guided tour "up close and personal." It encourages independent exploration with
suggested reading and resources of further information.
Wildlife Tales: Ants and Plants
Number: VC1119 Grade Level: P Length: 25 min.
To humans they may be just pests at a picnic, but to some plants, ants are crucial to survival. In
the natural world this dual-support arrangement is known as "symbiosis", a give-and-take in
which each living thing benefits from the other. The King Tree, for example, provides food and
nesting sites in exchange for the diligent pest-protection of a colony of ants, Fascinating facts
and extraordinary images will give you an amazing up-close view of this tiny wonder-world.
Wilds of Madagascar
Number: VC79 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 60 min.
Just off the east coast of Africa, Madagascar is an island unique in all the world. Separated from
the mainland 165 million years ago, Madagascar's flora and fauna have evolved in near isolation.
Join a team of naturalists as they trek to the island's remote Ankarana plateau to study the exotic
animals of this forbidding wildlife oasis. By way of enormous underground passages, you'll hike
to a sunken forest, sighting rare creatures such as the crowned lemur, the leaf-tailed gecko, and
the souimanga sunbird in The Wilds of Madagascar.
Winter: Through the Seasons With Birds Series
Number: VC1036 Grade Level: P Length: 14 min.
Winter is a season of struggle for many animals-including birds. In this program, viewers learn
about birds that don't migrate for the winter, including snowy owls, woodpeckers, robins, and
cardinal, and see how they are able to keep warn and get food. A visit to the homes of migratory
birds is provided, showing viewers the great contrast between winter in the North and winter in
the South.
Winter Comes to the Forest
Number: VC1226 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
When winter comes, the forest looks cold, bare, and dead. but, if anyone looks more closely,
there are buds containing tiny leaves, the cocoon of a moth, a chickadee looking for insect eggs,
rabbit tracks in the snow, or seeds which will grow next spring. These reveal the many ways that
living things are adapted for living through the winter.
Wolves, Alphabet Zoop #8
Number: VC143 Grade Level: P/I Length: 10 min.
The Washington Park Zoo presents a collection of entertaining and educational programs about
wild animals.
World of Nature Series: Insect Disguises
Number: VC1043 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
Insects are the most common animals on the surface of the Earth. Although scientists have
named more than one million species, they think there may be more than fifty million different
types of insects. Insects are so small that they have developed unique ways of escaping from
predators. Some look dangerous. Others blend into their surroundings. Sometimes these
disguises work. At other times, the insect provides food for another animal, proving that these
methods of predation don't always work.
World of Nature Series: Monarch Butterfly: Milkweed to Mexico
Number: VC1044 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
Each fall, millions of monarch butterflies leave Ontario. They fly to Mexico, where they spend
the winter in an isolated fir forest. In the spring, they return to Ontario. Scientists are puzzled by
the monarch's migration because the butterflies that return are the grandchildren of the ones that
originally left Ontario. How do they know where to go? Is it instict, a milkweed trail, or
something else? Viewers will be able to identify and describe its life cycle.
World of Nature Series: Salmon: Upstream Battle
Number: VC1045 Grade Level: P/I Length: 15 min.
Four years after they hatch, Atlantic salmon return from the ocean to the river where they were
born. If they can survive the journey, and are not eaten by predators, they will spawn in the same
quiet waterway where they hatched. Scientists think that salmon are able to smell and taste the
waters of their home rivers. That's why modern developments such as logging and industry can
cause problems for this migratory species. Viewers will learn the ways salmon change as they
move from salt to fresh water, and map the journey of salmon from the Pacific Ocean up the
Fraser River.
World of Plants and Animal Communities, The
Number: VC163 Grade Level: P/I/J Length: 13 min.
This video defines the term community and describes some examples of interrelationships
between plants and animals in sample community. It illustrates a food chain and explains its
importance to communities. Different types of communities are shown and explanations are
given as to how some plants and animals have adapted to special conditions.
Zoo Animals in the Wild I
Number VC70 Grade Level: P/I Length: 32 min.
The animals featured are ostriches, elephants, apes, bears, monkeys, baboons
Zoo Animals in the Wild II
Number: VC71 Grade Level: P/I Length: 32 min.
The animals featured are rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, beavers, pelicans, giant turtles, lions &
tigers.
Zoo Day
Number: VC1210 Grade Level: P/I Length: 11 min.
Young viewers will see and learn about many exotic animals. The camera captures multiple
shots of animals from around the world, such as the kangaroo and emus of Australia; the lion,
zebra and cape buffalo of Africa; the jaguar and llama from the mountains of South America; the
black bear and orangutan of Asia; and the polar bear and snowy owl of North America. Zoos
have an important role in providing a safe home for endangered species. Those animals which
have become rare in the wild, due to over-hunting or other reasons.