Why does the giraffe have a long neck?
Description
Animation describing the evolution of the giraffe. Sam, a young tortoise, wishes he had a longer neck to reach the nicest leaves. Grandad Charlie tells Sam a story about giraffes. Long ago, giraffes didn鈥檛 have long necks. They wanted to eat the higher leaves but had to compete with elephants and antelopes for the lower leaves. One day, a giraffe was born with a slightly longer neck. She could reach leaves further up the trees. When she had young, some of them also had longer necks and they too were better at reaching for food. Over many years, other giraffes were born with longer necks. These giraffes survived better than those with the shorter necks, and eventually all giraffes had long necks.
Classroom Ideas
Students could use this clip to design their own food webs and food chains. Students could then do further research on elephants, antelopes and giraffes and their adaptations and variations. Students may also conduct role-plays illustrating the competition between the animals in this clip.
Living things
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