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Scientists study the behavior of the agile, fast, and elusive spider. A particular area of interest is the spider’s web. It is one of the strongest substances on earth and is integral for catching prey. Segment of video from Wild Chronicles Series.
(Source: DCMP)
Bill Nye describes a spider's body structure, tells how it differs from insects, demonstrates how spiders use their silk (the strongest natural fiber in the world), and stresses their importance in nature. Closeups of webs.
New technologies and improvements in photography let us see into the private lives of insects and spiders. Shows both groups cleaning themselves, recycling, and building protective coverings. Comments on the two types of metamorphosis and observes some mating rituals.
Host Trace Dominguez discusses a science experiment involving spiders and their webs. Some scientists sprayed spiders with graphene, which they absorbed and added to their webs. This created the strongest fiber known to humankind.
The Magic School Bus is an award winning animated children’s television series based on the book series of the same title by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. It is notable for its use of celebrity talent and being both highly entertaining and educational. Ms. Frizzle's class takes a field trip inside a 1950s sci-fi film. The movie's main character, the power-mad General Araneus is determined to destroy the mantis, but Phoebe wants to trap it and save it. Shrinking to the size of real spiders, the kids discover how spiders construct a variety of silky snares, making them world-champion trappers. Can the kids save the mantis — and stop Araneus before it's too late?
How do spiders make their webs? Turns out it’s in their DNA. Spider expert and American Museum of Natural History curator Cheryl Y. Hayashi discusses her research into spider silk.
Part of the "Branches on the Tree of Life" series. Phylum Arthropoda is the most luxuriant branch on the tree of life. Covers phylum characteristics and three major arthropod classes: Crustaceans (copepods, waterfleas, branchiopods, decapods, and barnacles), Chelicerates (scorpions, pseudoscorpions, spiders, ticks, and mites), and Uniramians (centipedes, millipedes, and insects). Focuses on adaptations, life cycles, and evolutionary relationships in each section.
This episode focuses on the adaptations of arachnids and insects. Spiders inhabit backyards that design and build intricate silk webs. They have also developed numerous adaptations that make them efficient predators. Backyards also have insects living above and below the water's surface. More amazing adaptations are introduced including incomplete metamorphosis, eye development, and remarkable breathing apparatus. Part of the "Backyard Bugs & Other Arthropods" series.
Since the time of the ancient Greeks, humans have been using spider silk to dress wounds. Scientists now know spider webs not only have healing qualities, they can be stronger than steel. University of Wyoming Molecular Biologist Randy Lewis adds an almost science fiction aspect to the study of spider silk: making large quantities of it by “growing it” in goat’s milk. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Lewis has cloned and sequenced genes for the proteins that make up five different spider silks, some stronger than Kevlar, others more elastic than nylon.
Every fall, male tarantulas leave home looking for a female's den. However, his journey is filled with several obstacles including the dangers posed from their potential mate. Part of the "Deep Look" series.
Chickens hatch from eggs. But what about other animals? Explore the narrator’s book to learn about a variety of animals from spiders to platypuses. Part of the "Everyday Science for Preschoolers" series.
This episode explores the necessary and yet often times annoying relationship between humans and insects. Some of the insects highlighted include honey bees, driver ants, silk worms, locusts, Anopheles mosquitos, aphids, money spiders, and army ants. Part of the "Nature's Micorworlds: Insect Specials" series.
Horseshoe crabs are "living fossils" more closely related to spiders and scorpions than they are to crabs. They get their name from the smooth, hard shell (exoskeleton) that is shaped like a horseshoe. Part of "The Remarkable Horseshoe Crab" series.
Tarantula expert Rick West wants to give tarantulas a new non-scary image. He has traveled to French Guiana looking for the largest tarantula in the world: the Goliath. As he tracks and explains the spider, he hopes fear will turn to fascination. Segment of video from Wild Chronicles Series.
Rick West loves tarantulas and is a world expert on this large, hairy spider. His knowledge of tarantulas combines with closeup photography to provide insight into their habitats, physical characteristics, enemies, and mating habits. Contrary to popular opinion, no one has ever died from a tarantula's bite, though many have been uncomfortable.
Deep in Southern Mexico's jungle, the Villa Luz limestone caves support an ecosystem that thrives in a highly poisonous, acidic environment. This rare type of cave is found in few spots on Earth. Geologists and biologists wear gas masks and protective outerwear to explore the caves. All life forms, from microbial colonies to spiders, fish and bats, are interdependent upon the toxic soup of water, sulphur-oxide and hydrogen monoxide for survival.
Follows scientists as they explore the mysteries of attraction, natural selection, and survival of the fittest in the male animal kingdom. The scientists use unorthodox techniques and the latest technology to study how males in the animal kingdom achieve their main goal of passing their genes to the next generation. For some species in the animal kingdom, males will go to extremes to win a mate. They make music, fight, overdress, and even agree to be eaten alive to ensure survival of the fittest.
Think of earthworms and a few things come to mind: they make great bait for fishing, they aerate the soil, and they’re an excellent addition to a compost pile. But, what a lot of people don’t know is many earthworms are actually invasive species. Earthworms may be small but when they take over a forest, the impact is dramatic. They cause the rapid incorporation of organic material into the soil, changing its structure, chemistry and nutrient dynamics. What's known as the duff layer is suddenly removed, and this duff, or decaying organic material on the forest floor, is habitat for several species of insects, spiders, small vertebrates, bacteria and fungi. It is also the primary rooting zone for most plants.
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Resources to teach younger students about animals
A collection containing 58 resources, curated by DIAGRAM Center
