Instructional Video5:54
The Brain Scoop

In Search of Night Life

6th - 10th Standards
Take a tour through the Amazon rain forest at night! A video leads an expedition through a rain forest highlighting the nocturnal wildlife. The participants find reptiles, arachnids, insects, and more during their journey.
Instructional Video2:44
The Brain Scoop

Shark Fin CSI

6th - 10th Standards
Shark fin soup is quite a delicacy in Eastern cultures. Its high price tag makes shark fins a hot item for poachers! Scholars learn how investigators created a process to determine the shark species people hunted in a presentation. The...
Instructional Video3:28
The Brain Scoop

Shark Weapons

6th - 10th Standards
Humans have been making weapons from shark teeth for more than 100 years. These weapons help researchers build an understanding of migration of the different species of sharks. An interesting installment from the Brain Scoop series...
Instructional Video6:16
The Brain Scoop

Sharks Sharks Sharks and More Sharks

6th - 10th Standards
Learn what makes a shark a shark and their classifications in a video presentation. The focus of the presentation is an exploration of the unique species of sharks from different orders.
Instructional Video2:40
The Brain Scoop

Why Sharks?

6th - 10th Standards
Sharks have survived every major mass extinction in the history of the earth. Although the shark has had a good run, human interference threatens the survival of these formidable creatures. A video lesson explores creatures of the deep,...
Instructional Video4:06
The Brain Scoop

Crocodiles vs. Alligators

6th - 10th Standards
Crocodile or alligator? The answer is in the bite! There are many characteristics that distinguish a crocodile from an alligator including the overbite of an alligator that contrasts with the underbite of the crocodile. Part of a larger...
Instructional Video6:48
The Brain Scoop

Chicago Adventure, Part Four: Rodents of Unusual Size (And Other Mammals, Too)

6th - 12th Standards
The Chicago Field Museum is home to some amazingly large creatures! The installment from a larger mammals playlist takes young biologists on a tour of the mammal curation labs. Experts explain the specimen collection in terms of their...
Instructional Video3:58
The Brain Scoop

Mammoths vs. Mastodons: Can We "De-Extinct" Them Both?

6th - 12th Standards
According to a popular movie series, de-extincting ancient species may not be the best idea! But, is it possible? Explore the prospect through a video that is part of a larger playlist covering mammals. The narrator compares the physical...
Instructional Video4:06
The Brain Scoop

A Bear Skull

6th - 12th Standards
What can you learn about a bear by examining its skull? Take an impromptu look at bear anatomy with a video from an extensive mammals playlist. Scientists examine the skull's teeth and compare them with those of a younger bear to...
Instructional Video6:04
The Brain Scoop

Olinguito

6th - 12th Standards
Sometimes a brand new species of mammal is hiding right under our noses! Meet the olinguito, a raccoon-like mammal from South America. Part of a larger playlist on mammals, an interesting video discusses how a researcher from The...
Instructional Video1:57
The Brain Scoop

Horns vs. Antlers

6th - 12th Standards
Antlers and horns ... they're the same, right? Compare and contrast these two commonly misidentified structures using a video from an extensive playlist that explores mammals. It describes the two prominent protrusions in terms of...
Instructional Video5:17
The Brain Scoop

The Hero Shrew

6th - 12th Standards
No, the hero shrew doesn't fly or rescue people from burning buildings. In fact, scientists are not quite sure what it does with its amazing adaptation! Take a closer look at a rodent with a most unusual spine with a video from a larger...
Instructional Video5:35
The Brain Scoop

Chicago Adventure, Part Three: Little Skeletons

6th - 12th Standards
How do museums keep up with all of the tiny creatures they collect? Go behind the scenes through a video from a larger playlist covering mammals. The narrator shows how skeletal parts are numbered, then examines the museum's collection...
Instructional Video9:10
The Brain Scoop

Into the Bat Caves of Kenya: Part 2

6th - 12th Standards
Field research is dirty work! Join a team of research scientists from the Field Museum in the second installment of a two-part series that is part of a larger playlist exploring mammals. The team continues their search for bats in...
Instructional Video6:38
The Brain Scoop

Into the Bat Caves of Kenya: Part 1

6th - 12th Standards
To the bat cave! No, not the one you're thinking of. Part one of a two-part series of expedition videos from playlist on mammals finds a group of researchers from the Field Museum embarking upon a quest. Content includes preparation for...
Instructional Video10:04
The Brain Scoop

The Naked Mole-Rat

6th - 12th Standards
The naked mole rat is truly unique! So unique, it was recently placed in its own family. What makes it so special? Discover its amazing story with a video from an exciting mammals playlist. A naked mole rat expert explains its...
Instructional Video4:57
The Brain Scoop

Two Bats and a Spider

6th - 12th Standards
What creatures lurk in the rainforest at night? Meet three of them in one short video. Part of a playlist exploring mammals, the video presents a look at night research in the Amazon. Scientists locate and photograph two bat species and...
Instructional Video16:44
The Brain Scoop

Wolves Can Be a Bit Coy

6th - 12th Standards
It turns out wolves are not quite as wolfish as they used to be. Part of a larger playlist  on mammals, the video offers an in-depth look at the wolf populations of today which, in some cases, are more coyote than wolf. The...
Instructional Video9:16
The Brain Scoop

The Man-Eating Lions of Tsavo

6th - 12th Standards
When railroad workers arrived in Kenya in 1898, they were greeted by some very hungry lions. Introduce young ecologists to the man-eating lions of Tsavo with a video from an extensive playlist exploring mammals. Topics include...
Instructional Video9:22
The Brain Scoop

The Flapper and the Panda

6th - 12th Standards
What do a New York socialite and a panda bear cub have in common? An intriguing video from a larger playlist on mammals presents the story of America's first captive panda, Su Lin. Follow the adventurous tale from the bamboo forests...
Instructional Video6:55
The Brain Scoop

Carl Akeley's Striped Hyenas

6th - 12th Standards
Ever wonder how to create museum dioramas? Examine the newly created striped hyena exhibit through the eyes of a scientist using a video from a larger playlist on mammals. Content includes the origins of the hyenas in the display,...
Instructional Video4:20
The Brain Scoop

Pangolins

6th - 12th Standards
Whether you call it a walking artichoke, or a pinecone anteater, pangolins are pretty cool! The narrator of a video from a larger playlist exploring mammals introduces young zoologists to the pangolin from the specimen room of the Field...
Instructional Video5:47
The Brain Scoop

Where'd You Get All Those Dead Animals?

6th - 12th Standards
Why do zoologists collect animal specimens for research? And, how many animals is enough? Explore both sides of a current debate in the scientific community using a video that is part of a larger playlist on mammals. Topics include...
Instructional Video7:37
The Brain Scoop

Camel Spiders: Neither Camels, Nor Spiders

9th - 12th Standards
Camel spiders eat live birds by liquefying the birds in their mouths and sucking the meal down their throats. The video presents the facts and myths about these interesting animals as part of a Brain Scoop playlist on Insects and Other...