This week we offered you a BioBlitz activity, have you tried it yet? If not, go back to out home learning page and find the BioBlitz post – it’s the one between weeks nine and ten. Here, you will learn more about the BioBlitz process and why scientists use them for their research. Read on to learn about BioBlitzing and to read our weekly Wildlife Fact file, all about the European Otter.

We have introduced these online learning opportunities in response to Covid-19, which has prevented us from going into schools in the Ribble Catchment as we normally would. This is our way of bringing our educational topics to you at home so you can continue to learn all about rivers and wildlife. Each week we will be providing a new main topic, a Wildlife Fact file and a quiz.

What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible over a short period of time, traditionally taking place over 24 hours with team members working in shifts. It is a biological census and the goal is to count all of the plants, animals, fungi and other living things in a certain place. BioBlitzes bring together volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers and other members of the community. They are brilliant because they allow citizens to work alongside scientists to learn about biodiversity of nature around them, while learning species ID skills from experts. They usually focus on areas connected to residential, urban and industrial areas. BioBlitzes help scientists and conservationists to know what species are found in certain areas, and how many of them they are. This helps them to focus their research and conservation efforts in the best way possible! By taking part in a BioBlitz you can contribute to genuine scientific research.

This week’s Wildlife Fact file is about the European Otter. Read the fact file below or click to open the pdf.

QUIZ

1. Otters are predators
   1. True
   2. False

2. How long does a BioBlitz usually last?
   1. 8 hours
   2. 12 hours
   3. 24 hours
   4. 48 hours

3. What makes otters great swimmers?
   1. They have webbed feet
   2. They wear snorkels and flippers
   3. They are really fish
   4. They can breathe underwater

4. What is the purpose of a BioBlitz?
   1. To get scientists out of their labs
   2. To count and record all the living things in an area
   3. To allow scientists to make friends
   4. To remove all living things from an area

5. What is an otter’s home called, where they have their cubs?
   1. Igloo
   2. Den
   3. Sett
   4. Holt

6. Who can do a BioBlitz?
   1. Anyone
   2. Scientists only
   3. Students only
   4. Only people with a garden

7. What habitat types are you most likely to find a European Otter?
   1. Woodland and fields
   2. Freshwater, marine and coastal
   3. Meadows and hedgerows
   4. Rainforest, mountain and coastal

8. What areas do BioBlitzes focus on?
   1. Fields and woodlands
   2. Rivers and wetlands
   3. Residential, urban and industrial
   4. Gardens only

9. Which of these is not something an otter might eat?
   1. Fish
   2. Birds
   3. Amphibians
   4. Young deer

10. How do BioBlitzes help scientists and conservationists?
    1. They enjoy the fieldwork involved
    2. Helps them to focus their research and conservation efforts
    3. It gives them lots of data to look at
    4. They can use the data to make graphs

Click here for the answers