During the Olympic games next month, people around the world will watch human athletes exceed the normal limits of human abilities to win the gold, silver, and bronze medals in a variety of winter sports. Many animals also have remarkable adaptations that make them the animal champions of their habitats. In this edition of Land, Sea & Air, explore the amazing world of animal extremes.

In the following entertaining and interactive activity, Kindergarten through third grade students can practice their measuring skills while learning about the sizes of different whales, and discovering which whale is the largest animal on Earth.

Fourth through eighth grade students utilize math skills in comparing their running speed with those of the fastest and slowest animals in the Animal Speedsters activity. They can also play a game to learn remarkable facts about birds in the Extreme Bird Facts Quiz.

What are the largest terrestrial and ocean animals? Which air-breathing animal flies the highest and which dives the deepest? Explore the following animal bytes to discover the answers to these questions and find out what makes each of these animals a champion.

Although polar bears are the largest land carnivore in the world, many scientists agree that these top Arctic predators are threatened by global climate change. Field studies on wild polar bears can be difficult in the harsh Arctic winter conditions, especially for denning females that are hidden away with their cubs. The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund provided a grant to help researchers from the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute develop an acoustic monitoring device that can be used to obtain data on polar bear denning behavior throughout the winter. Discover more at the following link.

The world's heaviest land animal is threatened by poaching and habitat loss. Learn how the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is helping to reduce the incidence of poaching of African elephants in one key habitat in West Africa.

Discover more about the world's heaviest land animal without leaving your classroom! SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Emmy award-winning series Shamu TV is rebroadcasting Saving a Species: The Elephant Story on February 19, 2010. Visit the website below to read and watch clips of Shamu TV shows and find out date, time, and satellite information for the broadcasts and rebroadcasts (including Saving a Species: The Elephant Story).