
Mammals
Levels 3 and 4

NZC Achievement Objectives

Te Mātauranga o Aotearoa
The Organism: Make detailed scientific classifications of some organisms.
Te Rauropi: Ka whakarōpū whāiti ā-pūtaiao i ētahi rauropi.

Learning Intentions

Integration Ideas
Learning Intentions are from the Ministry of Education
Integration ideas are from the Ministry of Education
Level 3
Investigate subgroups within large groups, using observed differences in external characteristics.
Students can investigate the special features of mammals and describe how these are important for their survival.
Levels 3 and 4
Students can distinguish groups of both distantly and closely related mammals by investigating how their external characteristics differ.
Level 4
Investigate and classify closely related living plants and animals according to easily observable features
Coming Soon!

Related Topics
Resources

New Zealand is an island nation surrounded by expansive oceans. It is fitting that we have a rich and diverse coastal fauna.
Level
1-4
Type
Activity Book
Canterbury's Marine & Coastal Animals
Environment Canterbury
New Zealand is an island nation surrounded by expansive oceans. It is fitting that we have a rich and diverse coastal fauna.

Did you know that you can make some unique New Zealand animals from cardboard? Reuse some old boxes at your house and give this activity a go!
Level
1-4
Type
Art Activity
Cardboard Native Animals!
Kiwi Conservation Club - Hakuturi Toa
Did you know that you can make some unique New Zealand animals from cardboard? Reuse some old boxes at your house and give this activity a go!

Join Bill as he explores the fascinating, spooky, bizarre world of caves!
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXcujmx6P98
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Caves
Bill Nye The Science Guy
Join Bill as he explores the fascinating, spooky, bizarre world of caves!
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXcujmx6P98

We had a cat once that killed rats, mice, a stoat, skinks, wētā, and some birds. I know, because I saw them dying, and I saw them dead. Perhaps pet cats should be kept inside.
Level
4
Type
Book
Connected 2013 Level 4: ‘Keep Your Cat Inside’
Ministry of Education NZ
We had a cat once that killed rats, mice, a stoat, skinks, wētā, and some birds. I know, because I saw them dying, and I saw them dead. Perhaps pet cats should be kept inside.

Sounds are all around us, even if we can’t hear them. Human ears are designed to pick up sound waves of a range of different frequencies, but ultrasonic and infrasonic sounds have frequencies that only certain animals can hear.
Level
4
Type
Book
Connected 2016 Level 4: ‘Can You Hear That?’
Ministry of Education NZ
Sounds are all around us, even if we can’t hear them. Human ears are designed to pick up sound waves of a range of different frequencies, but ultrasonic and infrasonic sounds have frequencies that only certain animals can hear.

This article demonstrates how students at Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate School designed a technological device to solve a community problem – how to care for the thousands of newborn kittens handed in to the SPCA each year. It encourages the reader to consider the issues, giving a model for how the same process could be applied to other problems.
Level
4
Type
Book
Connected 2020 Level 4: ‘Fostering Felines’
Ministry of Education NZ
This article demonstrates how students at Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate School designed a technological device to solve a community problem – how to care for the thousands of newborn kittens handed in to the SPCA each year. It encourages the reader to consider the issues, giving a model for how the same process could be applied to other problems.

A series of posters to support learning about Auckland's unique animal life, and to encourage outdoor exploration.
Level
1-4
Type
Poster
Fabulous facts about Auckland's wildlife
Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai
A series of posters to support learning about Auckland's unique animal life, and to encourage outdoor exploration.

KCC has worked with some awesome NZ illustrators to bring you some easy-to-follow instructions on drawing some of our favourite NZ animals!
Level
1-4
Type
Art Activity
How to Draw series
Kiwi Conservation Club - Hakuturi Toa
KCC has worked with some awesome NZ illustrators to bring you some easy-to-follow instructions on drawing some of our favourite NZ animals!

You can make and use our instant taxonomy dials to learn more about the typical characteristics of the eight different NZ whale families. And, it all fits on a pencil!
Level
1-4
Type
Art Activity
Instant Taxonomy
Kiwi Conservation Club - Hakuturi Toa
You can make and use our instant taxonomy dials to learn more about the typical characteristics of the eight different NZ whale families. And, it all fits on a pencil!

Names are in English, Sāmoan, Tongan, Rarotongan, Latin, te reo Māori, Chinese, and NZ Sign Language.
Level
1-4
Type
Learning Languages
Learn a new name for a marine mammal
Kiwi Conservation Club - Hakuturi Toa
Names are in English, Sāmoan, Tongan, Rarotongan, Latin, te reo Māori, Chinese, and NZ Sign Language.

Scientists use a special tool called an underwater hydrophone to learn more about our big and magnificent marine mammals!
Level
1-4
Type
Activity
Make a Underwater Hydrophone
Kiwi Conservation Club - Hakuturi Toa
Scientists use a special tool called an underwater hydrophone to learn more about our big and magnificent marine mammals!

Have you ever wondered how some animals survive in the cold? Well for some blubber is the answer. Why not try this experiment to see how blubber can protect you from the cold
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Make your own blubber
Nanogirl
Have you ever wondered how some animals survive in the cold? Well for some blubber is the answer. Why not try this experiment to see how blubber can protect you from the cold

Bill Nye gives you the furry facts about mammals.
Link for video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT-T8Y_WfxQ
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Mammals
Bill Nye The Science Guy
Bill Nye gives you the furry facts about mammals.
Link for video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT-T8Y_WfxQ

Mammals are the animals that are most familiar to many children. The wide cross-section of mammal forms and lifestyles provides an opportunity to show clear differences and similarities between different groups of mammals and for children to understand how these groups are related.
Level
3-4
Type
Activity Book
Mammals: Investigating a Group of Animals
Ministry of Education NZ
Mammals are the animals that are most familiar to many children. The wide cross-section of mammal forms and lifestyles provides an opportunity to show clear differences and similarities between different groups of mammals and for children to understand how these groups are related.

Marika the Maui dolphin swam through the coastal waters of the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, a once glistening and abundant seabed that was now gloomy and grey, in search of food for her dwindling family...
Level
1-4
Type
Book
Marika the Maui
Kiwi Conservation Club - Hakuturi Toa
Marika the Maui dolphin swam through the coastal waters of the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, a once glistening and abundant seabed that was now gloomy and grey, in search of food for her dwindling family...

Adaptation is an evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes increasingly well suited to living in a particular habitat. Marine organisms have adapted to a great diversity of habitats and distinctive environmental conditions.
Level
3-4
Type
Activity
Marine Adaptations
New Zealand Marine Studies Centre
Adaptation is an evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes increasingly well suited to living in a particular habitat. Marine organisms have adapted to a great diversity of habitats and distinctive environmental conditions.

Marine biodiversity refers to the variety of life in coastal and ocean environments. New Zealand’s
marine environment provides a habitat for an estimated 65,000 species of plants, animals and
microorganisms.
Level
3-4
Type
Activity
Marine Biodiversity
New Zealand Marine Studies Centre
Marine biodiversity refers to the variety of life in coastal and ocean environments. New Zealand’s
marine environment provides a habitat for an estimated 65,000 species of plants, animals and
microorganisms.

Food webs illustrate the networks of feeding relationships between organisms that live in a particular area. All food webs are made up of producers, consumers and decomposers.
Level
3-4
Type
Activity
Marine Foodwebs
New Zealand Marine Studies Centre
Food webs illustrate the networks of feeding relationships between organisms that live in a particular area. All food webs are made up of producers, consumers and decomposers.

The Marine Mammals episode is smooth; it’s like blubber.
Link for video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0dEBXKf61s
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Marine Mammals
Bill Nye The Science Guy
The Marine Mammals episode is smooth; it’s like blubber.
Link for video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0dEBXKf61s

Choose a marine animal that you want to know more about. Using as many different methods of research as you can, answer the questions below about your animal.
Level
1-4
Type
Activity
My Research Project
New Zealand Marine Studies Centre
Choose a marine animal that you want to know more about. Using as many different methods of research as you can, answer the questions below about your animal.

Dive on into science with Bill Nye the Science Guy’s “Ocean Life” episode.
Link for video: https://www.schooltube.com/media/Bill+Nye+Ocean+Life/1_pgcc7ts9
Level
1-4
Type
Video
Ocean Life
Bill Nye The Science Guy
Dive on into science with Bill Nye the Science Guy’s “Ocean Life” episode.
Link for video: https://www.schooltube.com/media/Bill+Nye+Ocean+Life/1_pgcc7ts9