Animals and their Weapons

Start with the cheetah

Establish what the weapons are, thinking about the whole body.

The cheetah is the worked example in the original, and it is a good one, because most of what makes it deadly is not teeth.

Adapted for massive speed to catch fast prey. Nought to 50 mph in three strides.
Non-retractable claws, working like running spikes.
Long legs.
Excellent eyesight and hearing.
Uses its tail for balance through high-speed turns.
Empties its bladder once a chase starts so it is carrying less weight.
Stalks and sneaks close before committing.
Uses its eyesight to pick out prey that is weak, old or very young.

This is the point of the unit. The tail and the bladder are weapons. So is the decision about which animal to chase. If your notes on the next eight species only mention teeth and claws, you have missed most of the animal.

Before you go on: name one cheetah adaptation that is not a weapon in the obvious sense, and say what it does

Pull it together

Which of the eight has the most unusual weapon, and why?

Two of these hunt cooperatively. What does working as a group let them do that a solitary hunter cannot?

Killing and eating are different problems. Name one species here where the eating is harder than the killing.

Start with the cheetah

Now the eight species

Pull it together