… the circle of life! Mufasa, what a legend.

(33 seconds - turn on your sound)

All animals are part of the carbon cycle. They eat carbon, in the form of meat or plants. When plants and animals die, their carbon returns back into the ground and air.
carbon cycle animals
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CO2 from the air is also dissolved in the Ocean, where plankton use it to do their photosynthesis.
plankton

Through land and water, the Earth breathes in and out, creating a delicate CO2 balance.

Place the arrows on the right field
(GT = gigatonnes of CO2)

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Source: NASA, 2015

This is the 'fast carbon cycle' because it happens in just a few decades. Very short in Earth time.

The cycle of life was in balance with Mufasa. But when Scar became king, he lifted the hunting limits and let the Hyenas eat as much as they wanted.

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Picture by Disney

By taking more than was available, Scar broke the balance and caused a famine.