Our Erskine May Hall was filled with a whole menagerie of exciting ‘Extreme Animals’ as we welcomed back Steve from the Dinosaur, Wildlife and Education Centre (DWAEC) for one of the most highly-anticipated and enjoyed talks of the year. From animals who were around during the time of the dinosaurs to highly popular animals who are far from “Simples!”, our Y4 boys were fascinated by the quite fantastic animals, many of which they got to touch and hold.
Throughout the afternoon, they learned a whole raft of fascinating facts as they got up close to the creatures.
Did you know?
- A snake’s jaw is like an elastic band that can expand to swallow sizable prey.
- Lizards, such as the Acu Monitor Lizard, can use their seriously grippy prehensile tails to climb.
- How do you get a hedgehog to uncurl from its protective ball? Tickle him on the back of his neck.
- The black rings around meerkats’ eyes work as sunglasses to protect them from the sun’s glare as they scan the skies for predators.
The boys were also delighted to meet Cookie, the laughing Kookaburra, and a beautiful barn owl who took flight over their heads.
The brilliant session introduced the boys to some incredible animals who live in some of the most inhospitable parts of our extreme Earth, helped them to understand more about their behaviour, and, most importantly, showed them up close that some of the ‘scary’ animals, such as tarantulas, are not scary at all but fascinating and awe-inspiring.
