Humans are predisposed to fear snakes. Through evolution, many animals developed a visceral reaction to snakes as a defense mechanism. An engaging video lesson describes the evidence and how scientists came to this conclusion.

Concepts

animal behavior, evolution, behavior, predators, predator-prey relationships, prey

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Include other videos in this series to show additional examples of animal behaviors and evolutionary traits
• Following the video, have pupils write down three interesting facts; lead a group discussion to create a combined list from the class

Classroom Considerations

• Requires a basic understanding of animal behaviors and evolution

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Incorporates several areas of science within the single lesson
• An interesting video that maintains viewers' attention

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2 RST.9-10.7