Feb 8, 2015 | Beavers, Mammals
This video shows an adult beaver with two of its kits feeding on alder leaves. The kits are usually born within the lodge in spring. They stay in the lodge for four or five weeks. The mother nurses them for 6-10 weeks. The kits begin to eat plant material when only...
Jan 22, 2015 | Mammals, Porcupines
Porcupines are a wonderful animal to learn about. Take a look at A Prickly Tale (Porcupine) by Bob Armstrong and Marge Hermans In summer they eat a variety of foods. In winter they feed on only a couple of items — spruce needles and the inner bark of hemlock...
Jan 21, 2015 | Mammals, Salmon
This video of chum salmon spawning could be a good one for class discussion. Especially after students do some reading about spawning behavior among salmon. Lots going on here. Look at Chum Salmon Spawning Behavior by S.L. Schroder Look for a signal by the female that...
Nov 26, 2014 | Beavers, Mammals
This video was taken in an ice covered pond in the Juneau area. It shows how a beaver swims underwater. Notice how it only uses its hind feet for swimming. In winter beavers will usually swim out of their lodge under the ice to a stash of food and bring it back into...
Nov 13, 2014 | Mammals, Salmon
This video shows both male and female Sockeye Salmon in an Alaskan stream getting ready to spawn. How can you tell the females from the males? Think about how you can tell an adult Sockeye Salmon from an adult Coho Salmon. You can look at the video on coho and try to...
Nov 13, 2014 | Mammals, Voles
On the Mendenhall Wetlands in Juneau many Long-tailed Voles live close to the upper edge of the intertidal zone. When we get the occasional really high tides over 18-19 feet the voles often get trapped by the incoming tide and are forced to swim. They seem to be...