Science Middle Childhood For the Classroom Teacher Learning Area Aspect Developmental Phase Airport Link Value Cluster Learning Outcome Science Life and Living Middle Childhood Conservation Environmental Responsibility Students will be able to identify common native animal species that are found in the conservation areas set aside at Perth Airport (around 310 hectares in two precincts). They will also learn about the threat to native species by the introduced species that inhabit Perth Airport. Instructions Print off the pages for the students showing the retrieval chart and pictographs. Use the pages as a discussion point with the focus on how introduced species have impacted on native animals and their habitats. Use the questions to guide the discussion. There are 5 activities in this module. Follow up activities The class teacher can ask more questions based on the information provided. Research the impact of other introduced species of animals like goats, dogs, horses, buffalo, cane toads and pigs. Invite a CALM officer to come to the school to talk to the students about introduced animals/pests. Related links to Perth Airport website http://www.perthairport.com/default.aspx?menuid=118 Environmental Management http://www.perthairport.com/default.aspx?menuid=119 Water Monitoring http://www.perthairport.com/default.aspx?menuid=121 Ecology Culture Heritage Useful websites links http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/ferals/ Check out these websites! Perth Airport Education Package Science Middle Childhood July 2007 1
For the Students Activity 1 From the retrieval chart below help Ben Bandicoot find the answers to these questions. How feral animals destroy native wildlife. Introduced Feral Animals Red Fox Feral Cat Rabbit Southern Brown Bandicoot Kills Southern Brown Bandicoot for food. Kills Southern Brown Bandicoot for food. Eats the Southern Brown Bandicoot s food source. Native Animals found at Perth Airport Rainbow Bee Eater Bobtail Lizard Blue Billed Duck Eats eggs for food. Bobtail Lizard. Eats the Blue Billed Duck s eggs. Eats eggs and kills the Rainbow Bee Eater for food. Bobtail Lizard. Kills young ducklings. Destroys habitat of Rainbow Bee Eater. Destroys habitat of Bobtail Lizard. Destroys habitat and nesting site of Blue Billed Duck. Western Bush Rat the Western Bush Rat. the Western Bush Rat. Eats the Western Bush Rat s food source. 1. Which native animals are most at risk from red foxes? 2. Which native animals are most at risk from feral cats? 3. Which native animals are most at risk from rabbits? Perth Airport Education Package Science Middle Childhood July 2007 2
Activity 2 Examine these pictographs and determine the relationships between the animals and the effect they have on each others existence. 1. The more red foxes the less. 2. What effect does the rabbit have on the bandicoot population? Perth Airport Education Package Science Middle Childhood July 2007 3
Activity 3 1. What impact does the feral cat have on the animals shown here? Perth Airport Education Package Science Middle Childhood July 2007 4
Activity 4 1. When there are no red foxes or feral cats, there are more 2. What are the vulnerabilities of the Blue Billed Duck and the Rainbow Bee Eater? Perth Airport Education Package Science Middle Childhood July 2007 5
Activity 5 1. The more red foxes and feral cats, the less. 2. Why do you think the Perth Airport environmental program is aiming to reduce the number of red foxes and feral cats? Perth Airport Education Package Science Middle Childhood July 2007 6
Answer Sheet Science - Middle Childhood Activity 1 1. All of the native animals are at risk from the red fox. 2. All of the native animals are at risk from the feral cat. 3. All of the native animals are at risk from the rabbit. Activity 2 1. The more foxes the lower the number of rainbow bee-eaters and bandicoots. 2. The impact the rabbit has on the bandicoot population is that they reduce the number of bandicoots. Activity 3 1. The feral cat reduces the number of bobtail lizards and blue billed ducks. It seems to have limited impact on the rabbit population. Activity 4 1. When there are no foxes or cats there are more of all of the other animals. 2. The blue billed duck can be caught when close to the shore. The rainbow bee eater nests on the ground, so its eggs can be eaten by the red fox or the feral cat. Activity 5 1. The more feral cats and more foxes the less the other native animals. 2. Perth Airport is trying to reduce the number of feral cats and foxes so that the native animals that normally live in this environment can breed back to the normal level. The character Ben Bandicoot (left) is based on the Quenda (right) pictured above. The quenda, or southern brown bandicoot is a small marsupial often encountered in and around urban areas near bushland in the southwest of Western Australia, including at Perth Airport. An adult quenda is about the size of a small rabbit, with a compact body, pointed head and short, stiff tail. Quenda are sometimes mistaken for large rats, but rats are generally long and lean in comparison to the stout shape of the quenda. Quenda also hop instead of scurry, and do not climb trees or walls or chew on electrical wiring as rats may. Quenda are omnivorous and forage mainly for insects. They also eat berries, fungi, seeds and some plant material. You may have seen the characteristic small conical shaped holes formed by quenda while foraging around Perth Airport. Perth Airport Education Package Science Middle Childhood July 2007 7