‘Tis the season to celebrate our favorite fabulous felines! That’s right: Next weekend is Big Cat Weekend here at National Geographic! Big cats include lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, and snow leopards. These extraordinary creatures, which play an incredibly important role in their ecosystems, cannot be replaced. If they are not at the top of the food chain, the delicate balance of trophic relationships will be … Continue reading Welcome the Week with Big Cats
Ignite learning as each new school week begins, by using our multimedia and maps. Use our weekly ideas to wake up your students’ curiosity and spark new energy into learning about their world. This week, National Geographic is celebrating its fifth annual Big Cat Week as part of the Big Cats Initiative! Join National Geographic filmmakers and explorers and raise your students’ awareness about the declining populations of … Continue reading MEDIA MONDAY: Which Big Cat is Fastest?
Celebrate Big Cat Week with National Geographic beginning November 28th! Written by guest bloggers Dr. Alex Oberle and Mollie Ullestad representing the Geographic Alliance of Iowa (GAI), a National Geographic supported organization that works to advance geography education in Iowa. In between the high fives, pawshakes, furry hugs, and other mascot antics, I’m trying to remember exactly why I dragged our Undergraduate and Administrative Assistants out to take … Continue reading Big Cats, College Mascots, and Iowa Schools
Here are five of several species of big cat’s that are facing habitat destruction, poaching, and other threats to their already dwindling populations. National Geographic is currently sponsoring explorers, researchers, and conservationists who spend time in the field in Africa, Asia, and South America working to further the protection of big cats. Learn more about Dereck and Beverly Joubert, leaders of the Big Cat Initiative.
Siberian Tiger
The world’s largest cat, the Siberian Tiger lives in Eastern Russia, China, and North Korea. It is estimated that there are only between 400 and 500 Siberian Tigers living in the wild today. In the last century, hunting and forest destruction have significantly reduced tiger populations. Did you know that no two tigers have exactly the same stripes? Also, a tiger can eat up to 60 pounds in one night, if it’s hungry enough!
Snow Leopard
The elusive Snow Leopard lives in the mountains of Central Asia. Its wide, fur-covered feet act as natural snow-shoes, allowing it to survive the wintry conditions of the Central Asian mountains. Snow Leopards can kill animals three times their weight! One contributing factor to the big cat’s population decline is the killing of Snow Leopards by herders, in efforts to protect their cattle.
This week is Big Cat Week on Nat Geo Wild television. Big Cat Week is an extension of National Geographic’s Big Cat Initiative, and it features several shows about big cats on the National Geographic Channel everyday this week. The Big Cat Initiative is National Geographic’s long-term commitment to stop poaching, save habitats, and declare that strong steps are needed to save big cats around … Continue reading Lions and Tigers….and Cheetahs and Leopards
