Refuge’s WoW teaches adaptation, more
The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge reported that from now through April 18, the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s Wildlife on Wheels educators are teaching students at Lehigh Elementary in Lehigh Acres. Recently, fifth-graders learned about the structural adaptations of a smalltooth sawfish by looking at its unusual rostrum. It provides protection from predators but most importantly aids in feeding, containing tiny sense organs that allow the sawfish to detect food under the sand and teeth for cutting up its food. First-graders learned about the basic needs of plants and animals, including food. They learned humans can have an impact on animals’ diets and to keep wildlife safe by never throwing plastics on the ground where animals might mistake them for food.