A cat's tongue makes a purr-fect grooming tool. But why are cats such obsessive groomers? Discover the many advantages a clean, silky coat gives these predators in a short video. With reasons that range from skin health to remaining stealth, pupils will see why all that licking isn't such a bad thing.

Concepts

cats, the tongue, cleanliness, predators

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Include the video in a lesson about predator behaviors
• Explore other grooming-crazy species to extend the lesson and show learners how such behaviors benefit the organism

Classroom Considerations

• The narrator provides simple explanations for anatomical terms, making the resource very student-friendly

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Images showing the cat's tongue at the microscopic level are detailed and interesting
• The video illustrates the link between the grooming behavior in wild and domestic felines
  

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.9-10.2