What is an Endemic Species?

Provided by: Mongabay Kids |Published on: October 31, 2025

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Synopsis

This resource from Mongabay Kids features a 2-minute video about endemic species, key points from the video, and a suggested activity for students to explore endemic species in their location.
Students will learn that certain countries in the world have many endemic species, endemic species are vulnerable to environmental changes, and some may be threatened with extinction.

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Subjects: Biology

Authors: Mongabay Kids

Region: South and Central America, Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

Students will love seeing the images of animals throughout the video.
The suggested activity does a great job of helping students see global problems in a local context.

Prerequisites

Teachers may want to define the terms biodiversity and extinction prior to the video.

Differentiation & Implementation

After reading and watching, students can select one endemic species to research, determining possible threats, where they live, and how they are important to the ecosystem.
Teachers can emphasize how climate change may impact endemic species, whose only home may be changing due to changes in precipitation, temperatures, or phenology.
Teachers can also make connections between climate change and the prevalence of invasive species like those that put the Patagonia frog at risk.
This resource can also be used in a lesson focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water, or Goal 15, Life on Land.

Scientist Notes

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Resource Type and Format

About the Partner Provider

Mongabay Kids

Mongabay Kids is the dedicated youth education initiative at Mongabay, an award-winning nonprofit environmental and conservation news organization. We provide free, age-appropriate news, features, activities, and multimedia resources that inspire curiosity, ecological understanding, and action. Designed for children ages 8-14, families, and educators, Mongabay Kids empowers the next generation to explore, celebrate, and protect the natural world.

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All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.