Oxbow Phenomenon Library
The following page has several phenomenon videos and resources to enhance the science
classroom. These natural phenomenon videos
may be used as an anchor or for classroom investigations.
This library is always updating, for more videos visit our Youtube channel.
Phenomenon:
Alligators Bellowing (Communicating)
Video Description:
Male American Alligators in the wild will bellow or make a deep sound to attract a female mate in the wild. Oxbow has no male alligators, so one of our six female alligators assumes the dominant role. Though Oxbow does not house both male and females, the chorus of alligators is an inherited behavior that allows them to communicate amongst each other and our alligators have been observed vocalizing before rainstorms or in response to simulated thunder type sounds from Fort Moore.
Materials
Phenomenon:
Alligators Swimming
Video Description:
American Alligators live in and around the waters surrounding Columbus and southern parts of Georgia into Florida and Alabama. American Alligators spend most of their time in the water or near the shore in shallow alligator holes that they dig, creating habitat for many wetland species. American Alligators have long, thick tails that help swim through the water. As reptiles, they are covered in scales but fall into their own category of reptiles separate from turtles, snakes, and lizards. Alligators can also run on land, lifting their bodies off the ground and moving in short bursts.
Materials
Phenomenon:
Praying Mantis Shedding Exoskeleton
Video Description:
Praying mantis are a unique insect with six legs with the front two legs angled together in the shape of a “prayer,” a flexible head, three main body parts, two antennae, and compound eyes. These insects primarily feed on other insects, waiting patiently to ambush and attack – but have even been known to eat small birds like hummingbirds. Usually females cannot fly while males can, and mates will lay eggs where a nymph will emerge; praying mantises, like other insects, go through metamorphosis. Most mantises have camouflage coloration, with shades of greens and browns.
Materials
Phenomenon:
Snake Eating a Mouse
Video Description:
Snakes have strong muscles running along their ribs and vertebrate that help them push prey down their esophagus and into their digestive tract. Most snakes do have teeth, however, they do not use their teeth to chew their prey but rather swallow it whole. Snakes will usually swallow their prey item head first for easier digestion and will “walk” the muscles of their mouths from side to side for consumption (similar to moving furniture, “walking” it from side to side). Since snakes are ectothermic, they have a slow metabolism and at Oxbow eat generally one meal every other week. (Note: this video contains a predator eating its prey, but the mouse is already deceased.)
Materials
Phenomenon:
Toad Camouflage
Video Description:
There are several species of toad native to the Chattahoochee River, including the American Toad and Fowler’s Toad. Toads generally have more leathery, bumpy, dry skin than some other frogs with shorter legs and usually a more terrestrial habitat. Toads belong to the same Order as frogs, but not all frogs are classified as toads. The American Toad and Fowler’s Toad are both nocturnal, hunting at night for insects and small invertebrates. They produce a toxin in glands that can be harmful to animals if ingested or eaten, which can help evade predators and becoming a meal themselves.
Materials
Phenomenon:
Gopher Tortoise
Video Description:
The Gopher Tortoise is a keystone species in Georgia and resides in the Coastal Plain region, mostly in Longleaf Pine Forests. They eat a variety of grasses, mushrooms, and fruits as herbivorous scavengers. Gopher Tortoises are engineers in their environment, or “eco-engineers” that dig burrows up to 30 feet long and 10 feet deep, which provide habitat for over 300 additional species, including the Indigo Snake, Gopher Frog, burrowing owls, rabbits, foxes, rodents, and small invertebrates. Gopher Tortoises are terrestrial turtles known as tortoises that lay eggs. They are a very social species and will develop complex social relationships, often communicating dominance through a “head bob” motion. (Vulnerable species on IUCN Conservation List).
Materials
Phenomenon:
Frog Digestion
Video Description:
Observe a frog and the end of its digestive process. Many students ask if amphibians use the bathroom, which is naturally curious. This video, while does include a frog using the restroom, will provide many reactions and questions. Ranging from what do frogs eat to the habitat needed for them to find food.
Suggested Grades:
- 1st-12th
Main Themes:
- Camouflage, Living/Nonliving, Adaptations, Classification, Habitat, Diet, Biology, Anatomy
Materials:
- Coming soon!
Phenomenon:
Fish of the Chattahoochee
Video Description:
The Chattahoochee River is home to many species of fish, including the Large Mouth Bass, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, Rainbow Trout, and Longnose Gar among many others. All of these fish share a habitat, and also some anatomical similarities such as gills to breathe dissolved oxygen underwater, fins for movement, swim bladders to position themselves in the water, live in an aqueous habitat, and are ectothermic or “cold-blooded.” These fish, however, are quite different when it comes to body shape, size, pattern, diet preference, and so on. Observe some of these similar and different traits, habitat, and interaction between fish of the Chattahoochee River.
Materials
Phenomenon:
Hawk on a Dock
Video Description:
Hawks are medium to large-sized birds of prey that live near forests throughout North America. There are several species native to Georgia, including but not limited to Red-Shouldered and Red-Tailed Hawks. Hawks are diurnal and hunt during the day for small rodents like squirrel and mice, rabbits, amphibians, reptiles, and other birds. Hawks will catch a wind current or draft with their broad wings and can fly with minimal flapping to search for prey. Hawks have a pointed, sharp beak for tearing and shredding their prey and hollow bones that allow them to be light-weight for flight.
Materials
Phenomenon:
Sea Anemone Observation
Video Description:
Sea anemones are marine invertebrates that prey on zooplankton. Sea anemone larva will float around the water column as plankton until settling on the sea floor and developing a polyp, but have also been known to reproduce asexually splitting off to regenerate polyps. The anemone attaches to a hard surface such as a rock, shell, or coral with its pedal disc or “foot.” Its tentacles will move with the current to collect food and push it toward a cavity that serves as both its mouth and where it expels waste. Some sea anemone will produce a venom or toxin that paralyzes prey, however, some fish species are immune to the stings and hide in their tentacles for protection from predation.
Materials