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Resource Library | Video

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Video

The Evolution of Big Cats

The Evolution of Big Cats

Learn how today's big cats evolved from prehistoric cat-like organisms, and what factors contributed to their evolution.

Grades

6 - 12+

Subjects

Geography

This lists the logos of programs or partners of NG Education which have provided or contributed the content on this page. Partner Big Cats Initiative

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Related Resources
  • Limiting Factors

      A limiting factor is anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing. Some examples of limiting factors are biotic, like food, mates, and competition with other organisms for resources. Others are abiotic, like space, temperature, altitude, and amount of sunlight available in an environment. Limiting factors are usually expressed as a lack of a particular resource. For example, if there are not enough prey animals in a forest to feed a large population of predators, then food becomes a limiting factor. Likewise, if there is not enough space in a pond for a large number of fish, then space becomes a limiting factor. There can be many different limiting factors at work in a single habitat, and the same limiting factors can affect the populations of both plant and animal species. Ultimately, limiting factors determine a habitat's carrying capacity, which is the maximum size of the population it can support. Teach your students about limiting factors with this curated collection of resources.

    View Collection
  • Big Cats

    Lions, tigers, and other big cats occupy a special place in the human imagination as beautiful, graceful, and dangerous. But these top predators have more to fear from humans than humans do from them. Many of these once-prolific species are endangered from poaching, territory loss, and climate change. Learn about these vital creatures through the resources in this collection.

    View Collection
  • Evolution

    In the mid-1800s, Charles Darwin famously described variation in the anatomy of finches from the Galapagos Islands. Alfred Russel Wallace noted the similarities and differences between nearby species and those separated by natural boundaries in the Amazon and Indonesia. Independently they came to the same conclusion: over generations, natural selection of inherited traits could give rise to new species. Use the resources below to teach the theory of evolution in your classroom.

    View Collection
  • Big Cats and Their Habitats

    Students use media resources to identify big cats and map the species ranges of the world's big cats. Then they determine each big cat's corresponding habitat and create a graphic organizer that summarizes the information.

    View Activity
  • Conservation and Big Cats

    Students read a National Geographic Education article, “Big Cats’ Big Problem,” and identify the threats to big cat populations and how the National Geographic Big Cats Initiative is working to address those threats.

    View Activity
  • Big Cats Initiative Sister School Toolkit

    Find free resources about big cats to use for the Big Cats Initiative Sister School Program. 

    View Article
Related Resources
  • Limiting Factors

      A limiting factor is anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing. Some examples of limiting factors are biotic, like food, mates, and competition with other organisms for resources. Others are abiotic, like space, temperature, altitude, and amount of sunlight available in an environment. Limiting factors are usually expressed as a lack of a particular resource. For example, if there are not enough prey animals in a forest to feed a large population of predators, then food becomes a limiting factor. Likewise, if there is not enough space in a pond for a large number of fish, then space becomes a limiting factor. There can be many different limiting factors at work in a single habitat, and the same limiting factors can affect the populations of both plant and animal species. Ultimately, limiting factors determine a habitat's carrying capacity, which is the maximum size of the population it can support. Teach your students about limiting factors with this curated collection of resources.

    View Collection
  • Big Cats

    Lions, tigers, and other big cats occupy a special place in the human imagination as beautiful, graceful, and dangerous. But these top predators have more to fear from humans than humans do from them. Many of these once-prolific species are endangered from poaching, territory loss, and climate change. Learn about these vital creatures through the resources in this collection.

    View Collection
  • Evolution

    In the mid-1800s, Charles Darwin famously described variation in the anatomy of finches from the Galapagos Islands. Alfred Russel Wallace noted the similarities and differences between nearby species and those separated by natural boundaries in the Amazon and Indonesia. Independently they came to the same conclusion: over generations, natural selection of inherited traits could give rise to new species. Use the resources below to teach the theory of evolution in your classroom.

    View Collection
  • Big Cats and Their Habitats

    Students use media resources to identify big cats and map the species ranges of the world's big cats. Then they determine each big cat's corresponding habitat and create a graphic organizer that summarizes the information.

    View Activity
  • Conservation and Big Cats

    Students read a National Geographic Education article, “Big Cats’ Big Problem,” and identify the threats to big cat populations and how the National Geographic Big Cats Initiative is working to address those threats.

    View Activity
  • Big Cats Initiative Sister School Toolkit

    Find free resources about big cats to use for the Big Cats Initiative Sister School Program. 

    View Article

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