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EXCELLENCE
Excellence Nature
EXCELLENCE NATURE

Animals, Explained

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LEVEL 1 · 0/3LEVEL 2 · 0/3LEVEL 3 · 0/3LEVEL 4 · 0/3LEVEL 5 · 0/3START
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Animals through real photos: the five groups with a backbone and the clue for each, the lookalikes that fool everyone, senses beyond ours (echoes, heat pits, electric fields), what eyes and teeth reveal, record speeds, camouflage you have to find, migration and hibernation in numbers, tool-making crows and octopuses, the mirror test, and the bald eagle comeback, from National Geographic, the Smithsonian, NOAA, the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the research.

3h 07m5 constellations
AT THE SUMMIT, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

01Sort any animal into its group with one clue, even the lookalikes

02Explain senses we don't have: echoes, heat and electricity

03Read an animal from its eyes and teeth

04Spot camouflage and explain migration and hibernation

05Know what animal minds can do, and what helps them survive

Every lesson of Animals, Explained

15 lessons in 5 levels, about 3 hours. Level 1 is free.

Level 1Who's Who in the Animal WorldFree · 3 lessons
  1. Five groups with a backboneSort any animal with one question and one clue.12 min
  2. Lookalikes that fool everyoneSee past the shape: dolphins, bats, the platypus and spiders.13 min
  3. Checkpoint: who's whoSort animals by their clues, even the tricky ones.12 min
Level 2Senses Beyond OursMembership · 3 lessons
  1. Senses we don't haveKnow how animals hunt with echoes, heat and electricity.12 min
  2. Eyes that hunt, eyes that hideRead an animal's eyes: hunter or hunted.13 min
  3. Checkpoint: how animals senseExplain echoes, heat pits, electric sense and eye placement.12 min
Level 3Hunters and HuntedMembership · 3 lessons
  1. Built for speedCompare a sprinter, a long-distance runner and a diver.12 min
  2. Teeth tell the menuRead a skull's teeth: meat, plants or both.13 min
  3. Checkpoint: hunters and huntedExplain speed, teeth and why hunters are rare.12 min
Level 4Tricks for Staying AliveMembership · 3 lessons
  1. Hide, or warnTell camouflage from warning colors, on real photos.12 min
  2. Fly away, or slow downCompare migration and hibernation with real numbers.13 min
  3. Checkpoint: staying aliveSpot camouflage, read warning colors, explain winter survival.12 min
Level 5Animal Minds, and UsMembership · 3 lessons
  1. Tools and mirrorsKnow what tool use and the mirror test show about animal minds.12 min
  2. Lost, and found againKnow the scale of the threat, a real comeback, and what helps at home.13 min
  3. Capstone: your field notesUse the whole path on real animals.14 min
FREE

Level 1 is open.

Membership opens every other level of this path.

See membership
AFTER THE CORE

Keep going where this path leads.

Evolution, ExplainedHow animals came to be this way · 2h 59m
Train Your Dog KindlyThe animal on your couch · 2h 54m