25 Nature Webcams for Science Learning at a Distance

Kids can learn a lot from observing animals, from what they eat and how they raise their young—to more advanced concepts like habitats and adaptations. Unfortunately, getting access to live animals is a challenge. Enter webcams. We compiled a list of the best nature webcams that offer kids a window into the animal world… so check it out!

Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJGrLNCg0pM 

These gentle giants eat almost exclusively bamboo … and if this webcam is any indication, they do it all day long. Check out their powerful jaws! 

California Academy of Sciences Penguin Cam

Let the waddling commence! Watch these little cuties from South Africa and Namibia swim and nest from one of three webcams.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Jelly Cam

These beauties are as mesmerizing as they are dangerous. These sea nettles, as they’re known, have stinging cells on their tentacles in order to paralyze prey.

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Seattle Aquarium Sea Otter Cam

 The Seattle Aquarium is home to four northern sea otters. The somersaults and log rolls are pretty amazing, but we won’t stop watching until we see them hold hands. 

Cornell Lab FeederWatch Cam

This FeederWatch cam is located at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York on the edge of the Sapsucker Woods. Their feeders attract chickadees, woodpeckers, and the Red-winged Blackbird.

RoyalCam Live Albatross Cam

Albatrosses are large oceanic birds with wingspans up to 10 feet. The last time we checked, this season’s not-so-little chick was hanging out in the nest.

Raptor Resource Project Decorah Eagles

When this breeding pair’s nest was destroyed (twice!), a team of researchers rebuilt it. The eagles have been coming back to brood ever since. 

Bear Watching Transylvania Live Animal Cam

You won’t see any vampires on this live animal cam located in Transylvania, Romania. However, you will see bears as well as red deer, roe deer, wild boar, fox, rabbit, wolf, and other wild animals.

GRACE Gorilla Forest Corridor Cam

Watch the Grauer’s gorillas as they play, eat, and rest in their forest habitat in the Democratic Republic of Congo. You can even “meet” the gorillas and then try to identify who you’re looking at!

Africam Nkhoro Bush Lodge

You’ll need a lot of patience for this one, but you just may be rewarded with one of Africa’s “big five” safari animals: lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo.

Aquarium of the Pacific Shark Lagoon Cam

Don’t worry—it’s not as scary as it sounds. Witness the many species of sharks inside the Aquarium of the Pacific’s shark lagoon—sand tiger, zebra, and whitetip reef sharks, for instance.

Polar Bears International Cape West Camera

Polar bear maternity dens?! Yes, please! Check in on the mama bears and cubs at Cape Churchill in Canada’s Wapusk National Park.

Boulder County Osprey Cam

You’re just in time! Last year, the ospreys arrived on March 22nd, so we should be able to watch them nest any time now!

Bella Hummingbird Nest

This tiny nest in La Verne, California, has been home to female hummingbirds and their babes since 2005. For reference, it’s about the size of a golf ball cut in half.

Honey Bee Hive

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in a beehive, then check out this livestream. It uses an infrared camera to show the inner workings of a bee colony living inside a large hollow log.

Nonsuch Expeditions Live Endangered Bermuda Cahows

Prepare to squee! You’re looking at a critically endangered (and adorably fluffy) Bermuda Cahow chick and its parents. It’s a beautiful sign of hope for a species once thought to be extinct.

Trevor Zoo Red Pandas

There are less than 5,000 red pandas in the wild. During the day, you can find the Trevor Zoo red pandas sleeping in the trees.

Animal Adventure Park Giraffe Yard Cam

April the giraffe went viral when the birth of her calf was live-streamed in 2017. Now you can check in on her and her son Tajiri while she enjoys her retirement.

Mpala Live African Watering Hole

We’re here for the hippos, but at this watering hole in central Kenya, you catch also catch elephants, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, crocodiles, and leopards taking a drink or going for a swim.

 

Lubee Bat Conservatory Mixed Species Flying Fox Cam

Check out these rescued fruit bats and please, help us figure out if that really is a teddy bear in the cage. Do bats need toys?

Orcalab Rubbing Beach

Believe us—you’ve never seen anything like this before. Watch as orcas in British Columbia’s Johnstone Strait engage in a unique behavior called “beach rubbing.”

Audubon Puffin Loafing Ledge 

You’re going to have to bookmark this one until the puffins return, but it should be soon. In the meantime, you can watch the livestream highlights of Atlantic puffins foraging, feeding, and raising their young in the rock crevices of Seal Island off the coast of Maine.

Brooks Falls Katmai National Park

One more to save for later. For now, check out the amazing highlights of brown bears as they feast on the salmon who have returned to spawn.

Have your own favorite nature webcams? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, 25 Amazing Virtual Field Trips for Kids.