Thursday, September 8, 2011

Natural Science in the Savannah!

It has been an amazing week for the girls in the Natural Science class. Our study of the biomes (desert, semi-desert, grasslands, savannah, forest and fynbos) of southwest Africa led right into the discussion of what wildlife lives in these beautiful places. We got to see the variety of savannah animals close up at the Maholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Students toured with an expert naturalist and did a focused species study on the hyena, rhino and cheetah. Not only did they learn about these animals, but they had the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the cheetah, baby black rhino and a variety of vultures. With new information fresh in their heads, we then searched for these illusive animals while on safari in Kruger National Park. Students kept detailed field notes on what species were sighted. More than 30 variety of mammals, birds and reptiles were observed within our 2 days in the park, including baby leopards and a family of hyena outside their den. This information will carry us into our next unit as we examine the interactions that all these species have within the savannah ecosystem.

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