Living things and their habitats - resources

House sparrows © Mike Pennington (CC BY-SA 2.0) via geograph

On this page you'll find a collection of films, articles and downloadable resources from across the Museum website to help support your teaching of the Living things and their habitats topic for primary science.

Life cycle and food chains

Videos

Butterflies emerge from their chrysalises

Watch as a flutter of blue morphos (Morpho peleides) emerge from their pupal state.

Meet the migrating monarchs

Follow the remarkable migration of an iconic butterfly species.

The bizarre love life of the anglerfish

The anglerfish lives in the dark depths of the ocean, which makes finding a mate challenging.

What can survive a wildfire?

We might think of fire as a destructive force, but for some plants it’s the path to perfect growing conditions.

Are spiders good mothers?

Many spiders protect their eggs with a silk pouch, but there's a species of jumping spider that takes things one step further.

Parasite in motion: Schistosomiasis

Our stop-motion video follows the life cycle of Schistosoma, a life-threatening parasite that can live in water, snails and even people.

Articles

British wildlife

What do wasps do?

Wasps and humans may have a rocky relationship. But should these insects be revered rather than feared?

What on Earth?

Flies are saving your chocolate cravings

Bees' pollinating prowess often overshadows many of the insects working just as hard as them.

British wildlife

Sneaky orchids manipulate bees for pollination

Discover the flowers that go to extraordinary lengths to attract insect pollinators.

Dinosaurs

Were dinosaurs good parents?

Did dinosaurs have a softer side when it came to caring for their eggs and young?

Classification

Videos

Naming nature, putting life in order

How do you name and categorise 80 million specimens, let alone all known life on Earth?

Spot the difference: butterfly or moth?

With so many similarities between moths and butterflies, how can we tell the two apart?

A film about Carl Linnaeus

Carl Linnaeus made it his life's work to develop and refine a way to classify and name all life on Earth.

Identification guides and keys

Common UK bumblebees identification guide

Download this pocket ID guide for the six most common UK bumblebees.

Common UK amphibians identification guide

This guide details the common amphibians you are likely to find around the UK.

Bats in flight identification guide

Download our handy guide to five of the most common UK bat species.

UK Tree identification guide

Identify evergreen and deciduous trees found in the UK with this step-by-step guide.

Spiders in your home

What spider have you found in your house? Read our identification guides to the most common spiders found in UK homes.

Quizzes and articles

Dinosaurs

Is it a dinosaur?

How well do you know your dinosaurs? Take our quiz to find out.

What on Earth?

How is a mouse like a giraffe?

They may certainly look different, but mice and giraffes are more similar than you might think.

Collections

Endeavour 250: natural history through colonial encounter

Discover rarely displayed illustrations and specimens from Captain Cook's first voyage.

Habitats

Videos

How does a polar bear stay warm?

There is more to polar bear fur than meets the eye. Mammals Curator Roberto Portela Miguez explains.

Show a bit more love to the humble earthworm

There are 27 different species of earthworm in the British Isle, and they have important work to do.

Fungi: undervalued jewels of the urban jungle

Just metres from some of Britain's busiest roads, micro-forests of fungi sprout from the undergrowth.

Spring walk in the UK

Join Fred Rumsey, botanist at the Natural History Museum, as he goes in search of wildlife on a spring walk at Warley Place Nature Reserve.

Summer walk in the UK

Join botanist Fred Rumsey as he goes on a coastal walk in search of plants living in extreme conditions at West Wittering Beach, West Sussex.

How do rodents carry out 'whisk' assessments?

Dr Robyn Grant explains how dormice use their whiskers to help them navigate at night.

Articles, quizzes and how-tos

British wildlife

How well do you know your winter wildlife?

Take our quiz to find out how familiar you are with the UK's plants and animals and their strategies for surviving winter.

British wildlife

How to attract butterflies to your garden

Filling your garden with insects will make your flowerbeds beautiful and support biodiversity. Ecologist Larissa Cooper explains how.

British wildlife

How to make a bird feeder

Follow our simple guide to building a bird feeder for your garden from a reused plastic bottle.

British wildlife

Spider webs: not just for Halloween

Explore seven common styles of spider web and discover the arachnids that make them.

Human impact on environments

Videos

Goodbye to the baiji, the Yangtze River dolphin

The extraordinary Yangtze River dolphin was the only member of an entire mammal family.

Plants under pressure

The world has more than 380,000 plant species: one in five are at risk of extinction.

Tiger conservation breeding

The future of the tiger is hanging by a thread. Their populations and habitat have halved in the past 20 years and less than 5,000 wild tigers survive.