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Why Does Whale Feeding Behavior Matter?

Provided by: American Museum of Natural History |Published on: September 18, 2025

Videos

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Synopsis

In this video from the American Museum of Natural History, students will understand the importance of the research following the feeding patterns of blue whales.
Students will get an idea of how climate change and warming oceans may impact whales and their ability to feed on krill.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Biology

Authors: American Museum of Natural History

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This video includes graphics and images that help support students' understanding.
Students will get to hear from researchers and professors and get a glimpse of what it is like to do this kind of research.

Prerequisites

Students should have a basic understanding of the effects of global warming on the ocean.

Differentiation & Implementation

Teachers can pause the video at about 2:55 and ask students to infer the meaning of specialist as it is used in this video. Teachers can then have students discuss how population changes may be more impactful for species that are specialists.
To expand on the impacts of climate change on the ocean currents, teachers can check out this resource.
An excellent follow-up to this video to extend the discussion about ocean plastics is this unit. Students can also take some time to think of or record all the single-use plastics they encounter over the course of a day.
Teachers can connect this video to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water. This video can help define this goal.

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Resource Type and Format

About the Partner Provider

American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition.

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