Generic filters
Exact matches only
clock
Today
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
LAST ADMISSION 03:30 pm

Education Poster

As a global leader in biodiversity, preservation and animal expertise, Zoo Atlanta works to save species and their wild environments around the globe. This is achieved by partnering with conservation organizations to expand reach and competency. Check out this yearโ€™s Education Conservation Poster for curricular connections and information about how Zoo Atlanta helps preserve the wild population of golden lion tamarins!

Download Poster (PDF)

Use the poster to connect to your curriculum! View our past poster designs and curriculums to further your learning in the classroom.ย 

Next Generation Science Standard: 3-LS1-1ย  |ย  Georgia Standard of Excellence: SKL1a, S1L1, S2L1, S3L1, S4L1, S7L1ย 

Use this yearโ€™s Education Conservation Poster to see the engineering design process in action, as Zoo Atlanta partners with Associaรงรฃo Mico-Leรฃo-Dourado (AMLD) biologists in Brazil to help an endangered primate called the golden lion tamarin. Take students through the design process, using the Zoo Atlanta page and the poster infographic.ย ย 

Start by looking at the top, center image of the poster. You will see a group of tamarins resting together on a tree branch. Allow students to make observations about the group of tamarins. After observing the poster picture, allow students to make inferences such as, โ€œI think they live in groups because they all look like they are hanging out together.โ€ Students should ask questions about what sparks curiosity. Questions can be recorded in science journals or STEM notebooks.ย ย ย 

Golden lion tamarins are named for their thick golden manes, which resemble those of African lions.ย  They are small primates with long tails. Weighing just over one pound, these squirrel-sized primates are very sociable, living in family groups of five to 10 individuals. Tamarins are arboreal, meaning they live in trees, avoiding predators that walk on the ground.ย ย 

Explore the basic needs of golden lion tamarins. Check out the diet and habitat requirements on Zoo Atlantaโ€™s animal pages.ย  See some up-close images and video clips of tamarins. Students should observe physical characteristics and behaviors, drawing pictures or writing observations in their science journals. Students can complete a sketch of a rainforest habitat and label items that meet the animalsโ€™ basic needs for food, water, and shelter. The rainforest is Earthโ€™s oldest living ecosystem. Students should add other animals or plants that live in the rainforest and think about their relationship to tamarins. For example, large snakes, raptors, and cats are considered predators, and the tamarin would be the prey.ย ย ย 

Questions from Zoo Atlanta Animal Pages:ย 

Q: What is the diet of golden lion tamarins?ย 
A: Golden lion tamarins are omnivores. They eat a variety of fruits, insects, other invertebrates, small vertebrates and eggs.ย 

Q: What is the lifespan of a golden lion tamarin?ย 
A: Ten years in the wild, but much longer in zoos. The record is 31 years.ย ย 

Fun fact: It is rare for tamarins to have just one baby. Tamarins usually have twins. This adaptation helps strengthen population numbers.ย ย ย 

ย Looking for more? Register for a Virtual Wild Walk or Wild Walk program. The following grade level topics are available now!ย ย 

Grades PreK-5: Animal Adaptationsย 
Run, jump, crawl and climb โ€“ animals have amazing adaptations to move, hide and stay alive. Tour the Zoo and observe animals in action to learn what makes them unique and maybe even similar to us. GSE: CD-SC3; SKL2; S1L1; S2L1; S3L1; S4L1; S5L2 NGSS: K-LS1; 1-LS1; 2-LS4; 3-LS4; 4-LS1; 5-PS3ย 

Grades 6-8: Weโ€™re All Connectedย 
From the mighty oaks to the tiny terrapins, we are all connected on this Earth. During your tour, learn about the different roles that animals play in their ecosystems, and find out why biodiversity is so important. GSE: S6E4; S7L4; S8P2 NGSS: MS-LS2; MS-LS4ย 

NGSS: 2-LS4-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS4-3ย  | ย GSE: S4L1d, S7L1ย 

In the 1970s, it was estimated that only about 200 golden lion tamarins were living in the wild. There were two reasons for this. Because of their small size and distinctive look, which many people find adorable, golden lion tamarins have been captured for the exotic pet trade for many years. Exporting tamarins is illegal, but it still happens.ย ย ย 

The most devastating cause for population decrease is extreme habitat loss. The Atlantic Coastal Forest has been cleared for agriculture since the 1500s. After so many years of deforestation, only 2% of the original forest remains. In addition, a major highway divides the forest. The tamarins cannot safely cross. These highways create isolated patches, making it impossible for tamarins to move around to find food or a mate. Conservationists knew that a creative solution was needed.ย 

Classroom debate idea: Golden Lion Tamarin or Golden Retriever?ย ย 

Students gather evidence and examples to argue their viewpoint. Include animal behavior and animal needs as evidence.ย ย 

Students write a persuasive paragraph or essay for or against owning a pet golden lion tamarin.ย ย 

Class discussion: How do your choices impact wildlife and people?ย ย ย 

In addition to theโ€ฏvariety of programs offered at Zoo Atlanta thatโ€ฏenhance your studentsโ€™โ€ฏscience knowledge, we canโ€ฏbring the Zoo to you! From adaptations to classification, we have you covered!โ€ฏLearn all about wildlife and wild places without leaving your classroom.โ€ฏOurโ€ฏZooMobileโ€ฏOutreachโ€ฏconnectsโ€ฏstudents to animals and conservation while complementing your classroomโ€ฏcurriculum. All programs are aligned with the Georgia Standards of Excellence and include live animal encounters and engaging activities. ZooMobile Outreach programs are designed for Pre-K to 12th grade. Make the most of the Zooโ€™s visit by booking up to three 45-minute programs for up to 60 students.ย 

Grades 9-12 โ€“โ€ฏEndangered Speciesโ€ฏwill enhance any environmental science classโ€™s understanding of biodiversity and the issues facing wildlife and wild places. Students will engage in real-world conversations about biodiversity, learn how they can make a difference, and will have the opportunity to meet an animal ambassador that faces many threats in the wild.ย 

We look forward to seeing you at the Zoo this school year and hope that we can bring the Zoo to you! For more information and to reserve your program, visitโ€ฏhttps://zooatlanta.org/program-type/zoo-mobile-outreach/.ย 

NGSS: K-ESS3-3ย  |ย  GSE: S3L2, S4L2, S1L1ย ย ย 

Ask students, โ€œHow can we connect two habitats with a busy highway running through them?โ€ย ย ย 

Because golden lion tamarins seldom leave their treetop homes, they needed a special type of wildlife crossing. Look at the top right picture on the Education Conservation Poster. What do you notice? The wildlife crossing is covered with soil and trees to look like an extension of the forest. It is called a forest corridor. The plan was to connect the broken habitats. Local government and communities are additionally working to restore some of the forest.ย ย 

Take a trip to the Zoo without getting on a bus!ย 

Learn more about wildlife crossings in the Hope for Habitats Virtual Zoo Challenge! Students learn how habitats are being connected close to home and how simple changes make a big difference to wildlife.ย  Featured species are terrapins and hedgehogs.ย ย 

When you cannot visit the Zoo, connect with us and enrich your curriculum virtually. Harnessing technology as the vehicle, connect your students to animals, careers, conservation, and all things Zoo Atlanta through a Virtual Field Trip. Aligned with the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), options are available for engaging students in STEM concepts as they learn about Zoo Atlantaโ€™s animal ambassadors and conservation initiatives.โ€ฏย 
โ€ฏย 

All programs are facilitated by a Zoo Atlanta Educator through an online platform and include standards-based curriculum to supplement the program. Programs are designed for classes ofโ€ฏup to 30 students. Programs may be adaptable to other grade levels with advance notice at time of booking.โ€ฏย 

NGSS: 2-LS4-1, MS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-8ย  |ย  GSE: S7L4, SEC3ย 

Zoo Atlanta partners with Associaรงรฃo Mico-Leรฃo-Dourado (AMLD), an organization that has worked for over 30 years to protect golden lion tamarins in their natural habitat. Two groups of golden lion tamarins from Zoo Atlanta were reintroduced to the wild in Brazil during the reintroduction program that ran from 1984 โ€“ 2000.ย ย ย 

The reintroduction of tamarins, along with construction of forest corridors, has increased the golden lion tamarin chances for success. But how do we really know if the plan is working? With the plan implemented, data must be collected to find out if the tamarins are moving between areas and making use of the corridors. Some wildlife corridors in other parts of the world have cameras to see which animals cross, but it is more difficult with the tamarins. They travel through the closed canopy, about 10 to 30 meters off the ground, and are very difficult to spot.ย 

Radio telemetry is a technology that allows AMLD biologists to observe, and sometimes help, tamarins. Tamarins are fitted with a special, lightweight collar that โ€œbeepsโ€ a signal at a frequency that cannot be heard by tamarins or people. This allows biologists to track movement and find the families. When a yellow fever outbreak hit in 2016, this technology saved many tamarins. Without radio transmitters, it could take up to two months to locate golden lion tamarin families. Because the monkeys were already being tracked, swift action was able to be taken. Golden lion tamarins are the first non-human primate species to be vaccinated against yellow fever.ย ย 

Learn more about radio telemetry by visitingย 

ย https://www.savetheliontamarin.org/glt-hero-trackingย ย  ย 

At Zoo Atlanta, observation and monitoring the health of all animals is taken seriously. Students can practice observational skills and learn about the research tools found at the Zoo by participating in a Zoo Challenge. Complete an ethogram observational study with gorillas or flamingos. Check out the page to find out more!ย ย 

NGSS: K-ESS3-3, HS-LS2-7,ย  |ย  GSE: S2E3, S5L4, S4L1cย 

Dedicated conservation efforts by Brazil and organizations like Zoo Atlanta have been successful in bringing golden lion tamarins back from the brink of extinction. The population has grown from 200 individuals to about 2,500. Within the wild population, about a thirdโ€ฏare descendants of golden lion tamarins raised in human care. In 2003, the species was downgraded from critically endangered to endangered. Brazil has set aside land for forests, and the once unknown primate is now featured on the new 20 Reais (currency) note. Ecotourists can travel the forests, looking for flashes of gold in the trees while experiencing the biodiversity of the Atlantic Coastal Forest of Brazil.ย ย 

Zoo Atlanta works to protect wildlife and wild places around the world. You can read about 11 different projects supporting everything from tiny bees to elephants on our Conservation Projects page. You can help by visiting the Zoo, or you or your class may want to sponsor an animal. Choose from seven species on our Animal Sponsorship page.ย ย 

Helping wildlife doesnโ€™t necessarily require a significant investment of time or resources. Below are some easy, free ways to help protect wildlife and their habitats.ย 

  • Choose to reuse: Join a social media group or download the free Buy Nothing โ„ข app to participate in a local gift economy through the Buy Nothingโ„ข Project. Learn more here.ย ย 
  • Keep wildlife wild: Admire wildlife from a safe distance and do your research before intervening if you think a wild animal needs help.ย 
  • Leave No Trace: When you spend time in nature, leave it just as clean (or even cleaner) than you found it by making sure you only dispose of things in trash, recycling, or compost bins. Learn more about the Leave No Trace principles here.ย 
  • Skip the straw: Unless you need one for medical purposes, declining plastic straws is an easy way to reduce your ecological footprint. Learn more about the impact of plastic pollution here.ย 
  • Share what you learnโ€ฏโ€“ Whether itโ€™s online or in-person, share what you learn about wildlife and tell others about the conservation actions youโ€™re committed to taking. When posting on social media, donโ€™t forget to use #OnlyZooATL to share with us, too!ย 

Read about other animal success stories in endangered species recovery.ย ย ย 

https://www.endangered.org/12-conservation-success-stories-for-endangered-species-day/ย 

Learn more when you book a 9th โ€“ 12th ZooMobile.ย  Students will play a game of Conservation Jenga that focuses on threats to habitats, learning what actions can be taken to turn things in a positive direction. Students will be provided scenarios and discuss positive or negative outcomes on topics like eco-tourism. Grades 9-12โ€ฏEndangered Speciesโ€ฏwill enhance any environmental science classโ€™s understanding of biodiversity and the issues facing wildlife and wild places.ย 

Past Education Posters

Explore Zoo Atlanta’s past Education Posters and Curriculums below!

Research in Action

Conservation in Action

Inquiring Minds at Zoo Atlanta

Past Education Poster Curriculums

BASIC NEEDSย 

Next Generation Science Standard: K-LS1-1 | Georgia Standards of Excellence: SKL1, S1L1โ€ฏย 
What is that thing and what does it do? All research starts with a question. If you knew nothing about elephants, what would you guess an elephantโ€™s trunk does? How do elephantsโ€™โ€ฏ trunks help them survive? How do their trunks make them alive? Using observation, we know that a trunk is a tool that allows elephants to meet their basic needs. Trunks can pick up items and carry food into their mouths for eating. Trunks suck up water and shoot it into the elephantsโ€™ mouths for drinking. Trunks are also strong enough and agile enough to pick leaves off branches or move heavy logs out of the way.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Ask students to pretend they are elephants and have them design their own trunks. Knowing that they need to meet their basic needs, what would they use to replicate the functions of an elephant trunk? Search Zoo Atlantaโ€™s YouTube page to watch videos of the elephants using their trunks and engaging with their habitat. Extend the lesson by putting the studentsโ€™ designs to the test.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Looking for more? Register for a ZooMobile program. Our โ€œBeastly Basicsโ€ program explores the basic needs of animals as students discover differentโ€ฏadaptations and characteristics that allow them to survive.

CLASSIFICATIONย 

NGSS: 2-LS4-1, 3-LS3-1โ€ฏโ€ฏ |โ€ฏ GSE: S2L1, S5L1, S7L1โ€ฏย 

What is a mammal? In short, it is an animal that has fur or hair, often for protection from their environment. Elephants fit into this category and are the largest land mammals in the world. Though it can be hard to see, elephants have short wiry hairs along their bodies and patches of hair at the ends of their tails. Take a look at Zoo Atlantaโ€™s African Elephant fact page for closer pictures of those hairs.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Start a discussion with your class and compare different mammals to discover what features they have in common, or what makes a mammal a mammal. In addition to having hair or fur, mammals are also warm-blooded vertebrates (animals with a backbone) who give birth to live young and produce milk to feed their young. Younger students can create a chart to compare the life cycles of elephants and compare them to other species. Older students can create a chart with these comparisons to differentiate between mammals and the other four vertebrate classes: reptiles, birds, fish and amphibians. Zoo Atlantaโ€™s animal pages can be used to learn more about different vertebrates.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Additionally, while looking at the hairs on the pictures of the African elephants from the fact page, students can look for differences between the elephants pictured. Look at their tails, ears, tusks and trunks to find some differences and decide what advantages each has that might help them survive better than another animal of their species.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Students can use what they learned to create a diagram that shows the differences in the types of body coverings of different animals. To bring your lessons to life, bring your students to the Zoo for our Zoo Challenge program, Creature Classification, where students will apply what they have learned to solve a classic case of โ€œwhodunit!โ€ Or let the Zoo bring classification to you in โ€œWhat Vertebrate am I,โ€ a popular ZooMobile program!

ADAPTATIONSย 

Next Generation Science Standards: 3-5-ETS1 | Georgia Standards of Excellence: S5L2โ€ฏย 
Look at how an elephantโ€™s trunk moves. It can extend and reach far and high as well as retract and hang down short, all without any bones! This is an incredible adaptation that allows elephants to reach areas other animals might not be able to reach to acquire food and at the same time, not step on their own trunks. This ability assists elephants in overcoming obstacles that could be in the way of their survival. The physical trunk is considered an inherited characteristic, or a trait that was passed down from the parents.

Where elephants find food is an example of an acquired characteristic, as knowledge of their habitat, where to find food, and how to evade predators, is passed down over time from individual to individual.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Using this elephant research as an example, students can use Zoo Atlantaโ€™s animal pages to choose an animal, identify inherited characteristics that aid in the speciesโ€™ survival, and define a design problem hindering that species. Explore that species' basic needs and threats to aid in that process. Using that knowledge, create a unique solution to the original design problem. Be creative in the new adaptations!โ€ฏย 

Learn more! Join Zoo Educators on a Wild Walk - a one-hour guided tour of the Zoo to see animals up close and in action. Make observations and learn about Zoo Atlantaโ€™s research and conservation work.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Interdependenceย 

NGSS: 3-LS4-3, MS-LS2-3, HS-LS2-6โ€ฏโ€ฏ |โ€ฏ GSE: S2L1, S4L1, S7L4, SB5, SEV1, SEV2โ€ฏย 
African elephants play an important role in their savanna ecosystem by shaping landscapes and dispersing seeds. They are considered keystone species because of the important services they provide to other organisms that live within the savanna ecosystem.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Ask your students to spend time learning more about African elephants and other African Savanna species. Once they have created a list of plants and animals, ask them to determine what role(s) each species plays within the ecosystem (predator-prey, mutualism, parasitism, etc.). Create a food web to illustrate the relationships between species. And then ask students to remove the African elephant from their ecosystem and make predictions about what will happen to the savanna ecosystem.โ€ฏย 

Looking for more connections? Bring your students to the Zoo on a Self-guided Field Trip and utilize the Teacher Resource Explore Guides for your visit. Or sign-up for an Educator led Wild Walk or Zoo Challenge program.โ€ฏโ€ฏย 
ย 
Structure and Functionย 

Next Generation Science Standards:โ€ฏ 1-LS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-2, HS-ETS1-1. HS-PS2-6| Georgia Standards of Excellence: SKP1, S2E3, S8P1, SZ4โ€ฏย 
As illustrated through the research in the Education Poster, there is still much to learn about the structure and function of elephant trunks. The same is true of other species in nature โ€“ plants and animals. Nature is often the best problem solver and inspires solutions to everyday problems. For example, flamingo beaks inspired efficient water filters based on the structure and function of how flamingos can strain and filter water when they feed. What will elephant trunks inspire in the future?โ€ฏโ€ฏย 

Have your students look to nature to make observations and inspire solutions to problems. Visit Georgia Techโ€™s Center for Biologically Inspired Design (CBID) site for teacher and student resources to begin looking at nature in new and wonderful ways. Introduce your students to the engineering design process and have them develop their own animal-inspired product. Have students practice developing solutions to real-world problems by using natural solutions. Students can work collaboratively to make a stronger design and perhaps, their design could inspire future research!โ€ฏย 

Looking for more ways to connect and discover? Take a trip to the Zoo without getting on a bus and sign-up for โ€œThat Animal Does What?,โ€ a Virtual Zoo Exploration program that explores research at Zoo Atlanta and the ways animals have inspired new technologies and breakthroughs in science.โ€ฏย 

Life Cycles

Next Generation Science Standard: 3-LS1-1โ€ฏโ€ฏ

Georgia Standard of Excellence: SKL2, S5L1โ€ฏ

From eggs to adulthood, reptiles have quite an interesting life cycle. Use this yearโ€™s education poster to start a conversation about the life cycle of an eastern indigo snake. Start by looking at the top, right image of the poster. There you will see a newly hatched snake around a few oval-shaped eggs. How are these eggs similar to eggs that you have seen? How are they different?โ€ฏ

Have students make a sketch of the life cycle of a snake. Use the poster and Zoo Atlantaโ€™s animal pages to see up-close images of the indigo snake and their eggs. From there, have students complete a sketch of the phases of development. Extend the lesson by having students compare the life cycle of a snake to the life cycles of birds, amphibians and mammals!โ€ฏ

Looking for more? Register for a Virtual Wild Walk! Our โ€œCycle of Lifeโ€ program showcases the life cycles of various animals at Zoo Atlanta!โ€ฏโ€ฏ

Classification

NGSS: 2-LS4-1, 3-LS3-1โ€ฏ

GSE: S2L1, S5L1, S7L1โ€ฏ

What makes a reptile a reptile? For one, reptiles are covered in scales, which help protect them in their habitats. Compare the scales of the indigo snake to the body coverings of other animals. For a close-up picture of scales, check out Zoo Atlantaโ€™s eastern indigo snake fact page. Have students closely look at the scales and compare and contrast them to the body coverings of other animals.โ€ฏ

From there, start a conversation with your students about all of the fascinating characteristics of the reptile class! Reptiles are a member of the vertebrate class, meaning that they have backbones. There are four other classes of vertebrates: fish, birds, mammals and amphibians. Each of these classes have unique characteristics. Have students create a diagram that indicates the characteristics of each of the five vertebrate classes. Use the animal pages from Zoo Atlantaโ€™s website to find images and facts about each of the vertebrate classes!โ€ฏ

Students can use what they learned to create a diagram that shows the differences in the types of body coverings of different animals. To bring your lessons to life, bring your students to the Zoo for our Zoo Challenge program, Creature Classification, where students will apply what they have learned to solve a classic case of โ€œwhodunit!โ€ Or let the Zoo bring classification to you in โ€œWhat Vertebrate am I,โ€ a popular ZooMobile program!โ€ฏโ€ฏ

Georgia Native Species & Interdependence

NGSS: 2-LS4-1, MS-LS2-2โ€ฏ

GSE: S7L4, SEC3โ€ฏ

Georgiaโ€™s diverse regions are home to a variety of animals specially adapted to the region in which they live. Several of these species have symbiotic relationships in which they depend on one another for survival.โ€ฏโ€ฏ

Eastern indigo snakes have a special connection to the gopher tortoise and can often be found in the burrows of the tortoise. In fact, the indigo snakes that are released back into the wild by Zoo Atlanta are released into gopher tortoise burrows! That way, the indigo snakes already have a ready-made home to move into!โ€ฏ

Visit Zoo Atlantaโ€™s website to learn more about indigo snakes and their symbiotic relationships,โ€ฏโ€ฏ and watch our Zoo2You on the gopher tortoise! From there, have students determine what type of symbiotic relationship exists between gopher tortoises and eastern indigo snakes. Ask students to take on the role of Zoo exhibit designer and create habitat signage for both the gopher tortoise and the indigo snake to explain their relationship! For even more fun learning about the very special animals that call Georgia home, visit Zoo Atlanta for the โ€œDiscover Georgiaโ€ Zoo Challenge program.โ€ฏโ€ฏ

Food Webs

NGSS: 3-LS4-3, MS-LS2-3, HS-LS2-6โ€ฏ

GSE: S3L1, S4L1, SB5, SEV1, SEC1โ€ฏ

Ecosystems are dependent on a delicate balance of species. Unfortunately, due to habitat fragmentation, the wild populations of indigo snakes are dwindling. How does the indigo snake fit into that delicate ecosystem balance, and what would happen if there were no more indigo snakes?โ€ฏโ€ฏ

Have students visit Zoo Atlantaโ€™s website to learn more about the indigo snake and what it eats. After researching the animalโ€™s diet, have students create a food web and then present to the class on what would happen if indigo snakes were removed from the ecosystem.โ€ฏ

Human Impact on the Environment

NGSS: K-ESS3-3, HS-LS2-7โ€ฏ

GSE: S2E3, SZ4โ€ฏ

Eastern Indigo snakes have quite a varied diet of rodents, insects, amphibians, birds and even venomous snakes such as rattlesnakes, cottonmouth snakes, and copperheads. For this reason, they are quite beneficial in keeping backyard habitats safe from these venomous snakes. However, due to habitat loss and a general fear of snakes, indigo snake populations have been decreasing in the wild.โ€ฏโ€ฏ

Have students research the indigo snake on Zoo Atlantaโ€™s website and do their own research to learn how the indigo snakeโ€™s habitat has become fragmented and their populations have declined due to the fragmentation, as well as general fear of snakes. Have students create a Fact Vs. Myth presentation on snakes to explain their importance in the ecosystem. Students can even create campaign posters and presentations to inform the public on the benefits of having snakes, including eastern indigo snakes, in their yards and present to their school community.โ€ฏ