Episode 8
In Episode 8 of The Seed Pod. Elizabeth shares stories about tracking and trapping of introduced pests, working with Kākāpō and Takahē (two of Aotearoa's taonga/treasured native birds), and utilising art and dance for science communication.
We are going to dive deeper into one of her stories in this Learning Pod using a Play - Observe - Discover - Share structure.
Observe
Different creatures have different footprints (tracks), similar to how our fingerprints are unique. Monitoring animal tracks can be useful for understanding the types of animals that visit a location such as a nearby greenspace. Not only are their tracks different, their poo is also different, and that is because they often eat different foods and have different types of digestive systems (ways to process food into energy).
Get to know some native and introduced creatures through their identifying features, food sources, poo and tracks in our tracking game.
Answer Sheets HERE.
Discover
We often hear the term ‘pest’ when referring to a creature that has been introduced to a country and has caused disruption in a natural ecosystem. These creatures often have adaptations that allow them to out-compete native creatures (creatures found naturally in that country) for resources such as food and habitats (homes), or adaptations that allow them to become predators that hunt native creatures.
In this activity we will learn more about adaptations and create a creature that would be well adapted to becoming a ‘pest’ here in Aotearoa.
Share
Share your stories with us at: theseedpod@outlook.com
This is a place for sharing stories and contributions from our community.
Elizabeth’s Story:
“Every morning, I take a walk along the Wellington seashore and count the number of bird species present.”
- Elizabeth Werner
We hope you enjoyed this Learning Pod!
If you have any feedback or photos/stories/art to share please get in touch!
