Beating the Heat: Chimp Adaptations in a Rapidly Warming Savanna | Evolution Earth

Support learning about environmental drivers of adaptation with this case study on chimps living in West Africa. Biologist Jill Pruetz visits chimps adapted to live in the hot and dry Fongoli region of Senegal in West Africa. As average temperatures rise, these chimp populations are displaying changes in appearance and behavior.

Viewing questions focus on cause-and-effect relationships and compare-and-contrast observations. Discussions focus on simplified versions of Tinbergen’s Four Questions and an introduction (for more advanced classes) to phenotypic plasticity. A thought exercise asks students to speculate on how humans may exhibit behavioral adaptations in a warmer world.

For classrooms with ample broadband-connected devices, an animal webcam activity prompts students to do their own animal behavioral research activity using an ethogram.