Capturing animal behaviours

Observe an animal and create a small collection of images that capture different behaviours or emotions.

Last edited: 01/12/2025

Before you get started

Why this is important

When we take the time to observe and capture an animal’s behaviour, we begin to notice their emotions, from curiosity and calmness to playfulness or stress. This helps us recognise animals as sentient beings who can feel joy, comfort, pain, and distress.

By building this emotional connection, we become more motivated to treat animals with kindness and respect and to protect them in the wild, on farms, and at home.

Supporting documents
Duke of Edinburgh Worksheet [3 hours]

Instructions

Carrying out your project

Choose and observe your animal

You can choose any animal: a pet, a farm animal, or a wild animal.

Spend some time watching the animal, how they move, rest, interact or explore.

Capture a series of 3 images

You can photograph or draw your chosen animal.

Each picture should show a different behaviour or moment, e.g. resting vs exploring.

Describe each image

Under each image, write a short description or words explaining:

What the animal is doing
Any body language you notice
What this behaviour might suggest about how the animal is feeling (e.g., calm, playful, curious, worried, excited, unsure)

For example: “The dog in this picture is lying on the grass with a toy in front of them. Their tail is wagging gently and their ears are in a natural, relaxed position. Their mouth is slightly open, and they look loose and bouncy. I think this behaviour suggests the dog is happy and playful.”