Biomimetics
KS3, KS4; Third Stage, Fourth Stage.
Ages 11 - 16
DURATION: 45 mins - 55 mins
OVERVIEW: We look at a section of complex behaviours from the animal world including Batesianmimicry, parthenogenesis and camouflage!
What can humans learn from these marvels? Find out how nature-inspired solutions are influencing scientific, medical and engineering discovery.
Learning Outcomes
All children will be able to give an example of biomimicry.
Most children will be able to explain how biomimicry has benefitted us.
Some children will be able to suggest how biomimicry could help us develop further.
You'll get to meet some of these animals:
Coming Autumn 2025:
Free pre-lesson resources and teaching packs!
"Biomimetics is a difficult subject for some childern to grasp. Using her animals, the ZooLab Ranger managed to convey this concept in a way that was easy for the children to understand."
Smithson Secondary School
What is adaptation?
An adaptation is defined as an adjustment to an organism to make them better suited to an environment.
Animals and plants have developed special characteristics to survive in their particular habitat. Adaptations include biological changes to body functions or structure, behavioural and physiological to change to meet the environment.
There are two different types of species - generalist and specialist: generalists are able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and the specialists can only thrive in a small variety.
Adaptations became widely discussed after Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace developed the theory of natural selection - i.e survival of the fittest, where the best adapted life forms survive and pass the most desirable characteristics to offspring.
Curriculum Outcomes England & Wales
Curriculum Outcomes Scotland
