Watching Families for Decades: teacher key

Animal Families, grade 7 edition, written for 7th grade. Some scientists follow the same animal families for years, from meerkats in the Kalahari to elephants in Kenya. See what long watching shows about helpers, babies and who belongs.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. How long have researchers followed one Kalahari meerkat group?
   • Around 3 years
   • Around thirty years (answer)
   • Since 1960
2. Why do meerkat helpers take turns babysitting?
   • Pups are born blind
   • Mobs are very large
   • A babysitter goes a whole day without food (answer)
3. What do herd members do when a mother returns with a new calf?
   • Inspect the calf thoroughly (answer)
   • Move away
   • Leave the herd
4. What can older chimpanzee siblings do if a mother dies?
   • Start a new study
   • Leave the community
   • Take over care of a younger sibling (answer)
5. What does cohesive mean in this book?
   • Very large
   • Sticking together (answer)
   • Fast moving

Words

• cohesive: sticking together
• matriarch: female herd leader
• siblings: brothers and sisters
• territory: claimed home area
• orphaned: without parents