Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Wildlife Biology

A semester course on how wild animals live and how biologists study and protect them: field signs, ecology, adaptations, population counts, threats and conservation. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

Start the courseSee the modules
$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Middle school course library, $79 for 28 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: The work of wildlife biology

    Apply field methods: classify species by taxonomy, identify tracks and signs, keep usable field notes and compute densities from transect counts.

    • What wildlife biologists do
    • Classifying animals
    • Field skills: tracks, signs and notes
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Ecology for wildlife

    Explain habitat components, niches, energy flow between trophic levels and how keystone species cause trophic cascades.

    • Habitats and niches
    • Food webs and energy flow
    • Keystone species and trophic cascades
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Adaptations and behavior

    Analyze structural, physiological and behavioral adaptations, foraging choices, migration and winter strategies.

    • Adaptations
    • Behavior: foraging, territory and communication
    • Migration and surviving winter
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Populations and how to count them

    Compute population change and mark-and-recapture estimates and interpret predator-prey cycles and carrying capacity.

    • Population growth and carrying capacity
    • Counting wildlife
    • Predators and prey
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Threats to wildlife

    Evaluate how habitat loss, fragmentation, invasive species, disease, pollution and climate change threaten wildlife.

    • Habitat loss and fragmentation
    • Invasive species and disease
    • Pollution and a changing climate
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Conservation and management

    Compare conservation tools, from Red List categories and the Endangered Species Act to captive breeding, prescribed fire and citizen science.

    • Protecting species: lists and laws
    • Management tools
    • Citizen science and careers
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 4 · Counting wildlife

Worked example: turtles in a pond

  1. First capture: 60 painted turtles, each marked with a small notch code and released.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · Middle SchoolAlso for Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of wildlife biology: you can classify animals and read tracks and signs, explain habitat, niches, food webs and trophic cascades, analyze adaptations, foraging and migration, estimate populations with transects and mark and recapture, explain predator-prey cycles, and weigh threats and the tools used to protect species. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 who like animals and the outdoors, are previewing a school wildlife or ecology course, or are thinking about a career in wildlife, fisheries or parks; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. The math is arithmetic and percentages.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Middle school course library ($79) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Middle School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the High School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the high school Wildlife Biology title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Program and species profiles: fws.gov
  2. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, categories and criteria: iucnredlist.org
  3. National Park Service, Yellowstone wolf restoration and research: nps.gov/yell
  4. U.S. Geological Survey, white-nose syndrome and amphibian research: usgs.gov
  5. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, eBird and bird biology: birds.cornell.edu

Wildlife Biology is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester course but does not replace a school course, award credit or substitute for supervised field work. Field activities are observation only; never approach, handle or feed wild animals. Example numbers in worked examples are labeled as examples. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.