Wildlife is everywhere- on land, in soil, in water, and in
the air. Wildlife scientists study wildlife to learn how they live and interact
with the environment. These scientists may focus on one wildlife species or a
group of species during their studies. They record observations made with their
senses and other tools.
Help your kids become wildlife scientists
Lead our students on a walk in the neighborhood around your
school or building or a nearby park to look for wildlife. Tell students that
they are using their eyes and ears to watch and listen for any signs of animal
life (animal movement, calls, tracks, tunnels, droppings, etc.). Have students record their observations.
- Where do you see wild animals?
- What are the animals doing?
- How do the animals react?
- What signs of animals do you see?
Field biologists often get down on their hands and knees to
"mimic" the tracks they see to help identify the animal and
understand what it was doing at that particular moment. Have your students
imitate the movements of wildlife.
- Raccoon - students get on their hands and knees and move from one spot to another, investigating the path they take
- Deer - students gather as a group, each looking in a different direction; students walk away then run and jump
- Insect - pairs of students work together to move all the "legs" at the proper time
- Bobcat - students get on their hands and knees and slowly move one leg and arm at a time as they stay as close to the ground as possible
Encourage students to pretend they are trying to observe wildlife in different habitats like wildlife scientists do.
- Crawl through a small cave to observe a bat
- Wade through a marsh to get closer to a beaver’s dam
- Hike through woods thick with trees and vines looking for a woodpecker
Check out these links for more information about wildlife scientists.
Famous Wildlife Biologists - http://www.buzzle.com/articles/wildlife-biologists.html
Wildlife Biologist Profile - http://animalcareers.about.com/od/Wildlife/a/Wildlife-Biologist.htm
Montana Fish,
Wildlife & Parks: State Wildlife Biologist - http://fwp.mt.gov/education/videoLibrary/outdoorReports/video_0102.html
PBS Kids -
Real Scientists: Wildlife Biologist - http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/scientists/scientist57.html
Missouri
Department of Conservation - Conservation Career: Wildlife Biologist - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0fEYXrHBbY
