How Can Leopard Seals Survive Climate Change?
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Provided by: Science Journal for Kids|Published on: May 28, 2025
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this article from Science Journal for Kids, students will learn about trait variability and behavior plasticity in leopard seals and the implications for their survival as their climate warms.
- Students will understand the differences between male and female seals and the important role of leopard seals in their food web.
- There are also additional resources for piecing together a lesson based on the article and videos where the article is read aloud in English and Spanish.
Subjects: Biology
Authors: Science Journal for Kids
Region: Polar Regions, Global
Languages: English, Spanish
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The article does a great job of hooking students in by asking them to consider a familiar scenario.
- The style, organization, and included media make this article inviting for students and a very low-stress introduction to the structure of a scientific report.
Prerequisites
- Teachers will need to enter some information about their school and enter their email to access the teacher answer key.
- Students should be familiar with climate change and the ice melt that results from it.
- To complete the fourth activity in the section for checking understanding, students should be familiar with grants. Students may benefit from seeing examples of grant proposals before beginning their writing.
- This resource includes a video showing a leopard seal hunting and catching a penguin. This video may not be appropriate for young or sensitive viewers.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After reading the article, students can learn more about food webs to understand the role of predators. This activity can help students see the interconnection of both food webs and communities.
- Students can use the glossary and what they read to create vocabulary cards. Students can add to this collection of cards as they learn more about climate change, biology, or other related topics.
- Students can select a different predator to find information about how it may survive in the face of climate change.
- Teachers can guide students in a discussion about how other human activities, such as plastic pollution, may impact leopard seals and other animals.
- Biology students can learn more about leopard seals and biology as a career path by listening to the podcast episode linked below the article.
This resource from Science Journal for Kids explores how leopard seals might adapt to a changing climate. Based on a peer-reviewed scientific study, the article explains how researchers analyzed the DNA of leopard seals to understand their genetic diversity and potential resilience to environmental change. This resource includes clear visuals, engaging videos, a glossary, and a quiz. This resource would be a great addition to a classroom discussion on the effects of climate change.
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Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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