![](media/image1.png){width="0.5834645669291338in" height="0.75in"}Life
Science

*Middle School Biology*

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="5.220138888888889in"
height="7.227777777777778in"}

Life Science

Biology Curriculum

# Animal Life 64

1.  **The Taxonomic Shuffle**

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a.  **Sorting out Species** Activity designed to help students establish
    a criteria to separate items into groups. 65

b.  **All in the Family** Activity design to help students understand
    how scientists classify animals. 72

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2.  **Desert Animal Adaptations**

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a.  **Why Do We Look the Way We Do?** Activity to provide students with
    hands-on exploration of animal adaptations, specifically the
    different beaks and feet of common birds. 76

b.  **Help! I'm Dehydrating** activity designed to increase the
    students' understanding of how desert animals conserve water. 84

c.  **Designer Animal Adaptations** Research of desert animal
    adaptations in order to discover how animals are designed to survive
    in the harsh desert climate. 88

d.  **Animals That Live in the Dark** Activity to help students
    understand the characteristics of different cave animal adaptations.
    92

e.  **Build an Animal** Students design a hypothetical desert animal and
    classify it into its proper group. 97

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3.  **Nature Detective** A day hike anywhere (Rattlesnake Springs,
    Carlsbad Caverns Nature Trail, school grounds, are all options)
    allowing students to observe and investigate plants and animals in
    the environment. 102

4.  **Build a Desert Diorama** Students will design a diorama to show
    desert animals in their natural habitat. 106

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Animal Life

Desert animals have some impressive ways of handling the challenges of
desert life. These adaptations help the animals escape the harsh desert
heat, retain water, and maintain their body temperature. Carlsbad
Caverns National Park is a safe haven for many animals. It is said that
the park is one of the richest areas in the state for insect life. There
are three large native hoofed animals in the park. Mule deer are
browsers preferring shrubs, such as catclaw acacia and desert willow,
but are adapted for aridity with a flexible diet. The cave swallow is a
very special summer resident in the park. Rattlesnake Springs is a
hotspot for migratory birds. The area attracts 19 species of
flycatchers, 35 species of warblers, and many other species of bird.

This unit will focus on animal classification and the adaptations desert
animals utilize in order to survive in the harsh climate. In the first
two activities, students will be learning about taxonomy or
classification of animals. In the activity, *Why Do We Look the Way We
Do?,* students will participate in a hands-on activity to explore the
adaptations of different types of bird beaks and feet. In the activity,
*Help! I'm Dehydrating!,* students will design experiments in develop an
understanding of how desert animals conserve water. In the activity,
*Designer Animal Adaptations,* students will discover how animals are
designed to survive in the harsh desert climate. In the activity,
*Animals That Live in the Dark,* students will study the special
characteristics and adaptations of cave animals. In the activity, *Build
an Animal,* students are free to design an animal that would survive in
a given environment. The activity, *Nature Detective,* is an optional
field trip opportunity for students to explore and investigate animals
in their natural environment. The final activity, *Build a Desert
Diorama,* allows students to design a diorama to show desert animals in
their natural habitat.

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Sorting Out Species?**

> ***How do we all fit together?***

**Summary:** This lesson is designed to establish criteria to separate
items into groups.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** classification, taxonomy, evolution, kingdom, phylum,
class, order, family, genus, species

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC3-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4,
SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC10-E2, SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   design and adhere to established criteria to sort items.

**Background**

Scientists are people who want to know how the world works. Biologists
are people who study living things on our planet. They study how things
evolved, how they are related, how they function, and how many different
species there are. With the nearly 100 million species on Earth it is
very complicated to organize species into their correct groups.

Biologists group animals together using relationships. This organization
and classification of living things is called taxonomy. Karl von Linne
developed this system of taxonomy in 1758. Using this system, every
living thing is given a unique classification.

Taxonomists group similar kinds of creatures together based on their
evolutionary relationships. This may sound simple, but it is not. The
similarities and differences between species can be very subtle.

Taxonomy is a crucial part of our understanding of life on Earth; it
reveals the order and diversity in the teeming life around us. The
system that taxonomists use is based on the relationships of different
groups of organisms to each other.

There are seven major levels of classification. These seven major levels
from largest to smallest are: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family,
genus, and species. Each level can be divided into clusters of organisms
that are most closely related. These clusters form the next level of
classification. For example, each kingdom is divided into a smaller
phylum, each phylum into classes, each class into orders, and so on all
the way down to species.

Another way to describe the different classifications is in terms of
shared genetic material. It is for this reason that an understanding of
species is so important: each species represents a unique and
irreplaceable genetic resource. The concept of biodiversity cannot be
properly understood without an appreciation of the species.

**MATERIALS**

Animal illustration cards

Double stick tape

**Prep**

Copy the animal illustration cards. Each group will need a complete set.

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Each student will have a picture of a desert animal taped
to his or her back. Students should not know what animal they are.
Students are to go around the room and ask other students for clues as
to what they are. Students may get only one clue from each person
although they may ask as many people as necessary for clues. (Ex. Am I a
mammal? Do I have horns or antlers?) Explain that scientists use
groupings to sort animals into categories.

***Activity***

1.  Divide class into groups of 2-4 students.

2.  Hand out the sets of animal illustration cards.

3.  Tell students they will be sorting these animals into groups using
    any criteria they choose. They can focus on shape, size, pattern,
    etc. Have students be creative in the ways they sort these animals.

4.  When students are finished sorting their animals they are to share
    with the class the criteria they chose to sort the animals into
    groups.

5.  After all groups share their animal groupings, explain to them that
    scientists also sort animals into groups. They often sort animals
    based on teeth, tail, feet, coloring, skeletal structure, geographic
    region, and habitat. Emphasize that more and more weight is being
    placed on DNA similarities as a major criterion for classification.
    Be sure that the students understand that all the animals that they
    were given can all be grouped together, because they are all
    Chihuahuan Desert animals.

***Wrap Up:*** Ask the students what other criteria they could use to
classify or group animals. Ask students to tell you what they did, how
they did it, and how can they use this information again.

**Assessment**

Teacher observation, participation

+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/imag     |   | ![](media/image5.    |   | ![](media/image6     |
| e4.png){width="2.2 |   | png){width="2.625in" |   | .png){width="2.75in" |
| 465277777777777in" |   | height="1.           |   | height="1.           |
| height="1.875in"}  |   | 8777777777777778in"} |   | 8777777777777778in"} |
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
| # Gamble's Quail   |   | **American Kestrel** |   | # Harris' Hawk       |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image7.p |   | ![](media/image8     |   | ![](media            |
| ng){width="2.75in" |   | .png){width="2.75in" |   | /image9.png){width=" |
| height="2.00       |   | height="2.0in"}      |   | 2.872916666666667in" |
| 97222222222224in"} |   |                      |   | height="1.           |
|                    |   | ## Golden Eagle      |   | 7597222222222222in"} |
| # Burrowing Owl    |   |                      |   |                      |
|                    |   |                      |   | ## Turkey Vulture    |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image10. |   | ![](media/           |   | ![](media/           |
| png){width="1.5in" |   | image11.png){width=" |   | image12.png){width=" |
| height="2.00       |   | 2.127083333333333in" |   | 2.252083333333333in" |
| 27777777777778in"} |   | height="1.           |   | height="1.           |
|                    |   | 8777777777777778in"} |   | 9861111111111112in"} |
| ## Cactus Wren     |   |                      |   |                      |
|                    |   | ## Common Raven      |   | # Greater Roadrunner |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/           |   | ![](media/i          |
| 13.png){width="2.8 |   | image14.png){width=" |   | mage15.png){width="1 |
| 715277777777777in" |   | 2.997916666666667in" |   | .6270833333333334in" |
| height="1.51       |   | height="2.           |   | height="2.           |
| 66666666666666in"} |   | 0055555555555555in"} |   | 0027777777777778in"} |
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
| # Desert Tortoise  |   | **Western            |   | # Western Dia        |
|                    |   | Coachwhip**          |   | mondback Rattlesnake |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/           |   | ![](media/image18.   |
| 16.png){width="2.2 |   | image17.png){width=" |   | png){width="3.125in" |
| 465277777777777in" |   | 2.747916666666667in" |   | height="2.           |
| height="2.13       |   | height="2.           |   | 0097222222222224in"} |
| 47222222222224in"} |   | 1347222222222224in"} |   |                      |
|                    |   |                      |   | ## Horned Lizard     |
| # Gila Monster     |   | ## Gopher Snake      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![                 |   | ![](media/           |   | ![](media/image2     |
| ](media/image19.pn |   | image20.png){width=" |   | 1.png){width="2.3in" |
| g){width="2.625in" |   | 2.872916666666667in" |   | height="2.           |
| height="2.0in"}    |   | height="2.           |   | 0631944444444446in"} |
|                    |   | 0027777777777778in"} |   |                      |
| ## Collared Lizard |   |                      |   | # Check              |
|                    |   | ## Desert Kingsnake  |   | ered Whiptail Lizard |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/image23.   |   | ![](media/image24.pn |
| 22.png){width="1.8 |   | png){width="1.675in" |   | g){width="2.73125in" |
| 715277777777777in" |   | height="2.           |   | height="2.           |
| height="2.13       |   | 2055555555555557in"} |   | 1277777777777778in"} |
| 95833333333334in"} |   |                      |   |                      |
|                    |   | **Pronghorn**        |   | # Grey Fox           |
| # Mule Deer        |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/image26.   |   | ![](media/image2     |
| 25.png){width="2.4 |   | png){width="2.875in" |   | 7.png){width="2.5in" |
| 965277777777777in" |   | height="2.           |   | height="2.0in"}      |
| height="2.13       |   | 0097222222222224in"} |   |                      |
| 47222222222224in"} |   |                      |   | ## Elk               |
|                    |   | ## Bison             |   |                      |
| # Bobcat           |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![                 |   | ![](media/image29.   |   | ![](media/           |
| ](media/image28.pn |   | png){width="0.925in" |   | image30.png){width=" |
| g){width="1.625in" |   | height="2            |   | 2.252083333333333in" |
| height="1.99       |   | .292361111111111in"} |   | height="2            |
| 30555555555556in"} |   |                      |   | .370833333333333in"} |
|                    |   | ## Bark Scorpion     |   |                      |
| #                  |   |                      |   | # Couch's Spadefoot  |
| # Desert Tarantula |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/image32    |   | ![](media/           |
| 31.png){width="2.7 |   | .png){width="1.25in" |   | image33.png){width=" |
| 465277777777777in" |   | height="2.0in"}      |   | 2.872916666666667in" |
| height="2.00       |   |                      |   | height="2.25in"}     |
| 27777777777778in"} |   | **Mexican Gray       |   |                      |
|                    |   | Wolf**               |   | # Mountain Lion      |
| # Black Bear       |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![                 |   | ![](media/image35.   |   | ![](media/i          |
| ](media/image34.pn |   | png){width="1.675in" |   | mage36.png){width="1 |
| g){width="2.875in" |   | height="2.           |   | .6701388888888888in" |
| height="2.18       |   | 1215277777777777in"} |   | height="1.           |
| 47222222222222in"} |   |                      |   | 9972222222222222in"} |
|                    |   | ## Javelina          |   |                      |
| # Ringtailed Cat   |   |                      |   | ## Blac              |
|                    |   |                      |   | k-tailed Prairie Dog |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| !                  |   |                      |   |                      |
| [](media/image37.p |   |                      |   |                      |
| ng){width="2.75in" |   |                      |   |                      |
| height="2.375in"}  |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ## Black-          |   | ![](media/i          |   | ![](media/           |
| tailed Jack Rabbit |   | mage38.png){width="1 |   | image39.png){width=" |
|                    |   | .6229166666666666in" |   | 3.122916666666667in" |
|                    |   | height="2.14375in"}  |   | height="2.           |
|                    |   |                      |   | 1277777777777778in"} |
|                    |   | ## Badger            |   |                      |
|                    |   |                      |   | # Mex                |
|                    |   |                      |   | ican Free-tailed Bat |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![                 |   | ![](media/image41.pn |   | ![](media/image42.   |
| ](media/image40.pn |   | g){width="3.10625in" |   | png){width="3.125in" |
| g){width="2.625in" |   | height="1.           |   | height="1.           |
| height="2.375in"}  |   | 1277777777777778in"} |   | 7527777777777778in"} |
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
| # Centipede        |   | **Millipede**        |   | # Ban                |
|                    |   |                      |   | ded Wing Grasshopper |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/image44.pn |   | ![](media/i          |
| 43.png){width="2.2 |   | g){width="1.28125in" |   | mage45.png){width="1 |
| 465277777777777in" |   | height="2.           |   | .4805555555555556in" |
| height="2.13       |   | 0083333333333333in"} |   | height="1.           |
| 47222222222224in"} |   |                      |   | 9166666666666667in"} |
|                    |   | ## Honey Mesquite    |   |                      |
| # Pinacate Beetle  |   |                      |   | ## En                |
|                    |   |                      |   | gelmann Prickly Pear |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+
| ![](media/image    |   | ![](media/i          |   | ![](media/i          |
| 46.png){width="1.5 |   | mage47.png){width="1 |   | mage48.png){width="1 |
| 784722222222223in" |   | .4805555555555556in" |   | .8729166666666666in" |
| height="1.93       |   | height="2.           |   | height="1            |
| 19444444444445in"} |   | 1319444444444446in"} |   | .832638888888889in"} |
|                    |   |                      |   |                      |
| ## Soaptree Yucca  |   | ## Spanish Bayonet   |   | # Desert Agave       |
+--------------------+---+----------------------+---+----------------------+

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

All In the Family

**Summary:** Like all organisms, animals are named and classified into a
hierarchy of relatedness. In this lesson students will learn the
principles of classification in order to classify animals into their
proper group.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** class, kingdom, family, phylum, species, genus, order,
animalia, chordata, mammalia, carnivora, canidae, canis

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC2-E2, SC3-E1, SC6-E1,
SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC10-E2, SC11-E1, SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   be able to define species.

-   be able to order the taxonomic levels.

**Background**

Scientists are people who want to know how the world works. Biologists
are people who study living things on our planet. They study how things
evolved, how they are related, how they function, and how many different
species there are. With the nearly 100 million species on Earth it is
very complicated to organize species into their correct groups.

One way of making sense of the millions of species in the world is to
organize them into groups based on their relationships. This system of
uniform organization is called taxonomy: the classification of living
things. This systematic organization and classification of living things
was developed by Karl von Linne in 1758.

Taxonomists group similar kinds of creatures together based on their
evolutionary relationships. Using this system, every living thing is
given a unique classification.

This may sound simple, but it is not. The similarities and differences
between species can be very subtle.

Taxonomy is a crucial part of our understanding of life on Earth; it
reveals the order and diversity in the teeming life around us. The
system that taxonomists use is based on the relationships of different
groups of organisms to each other.

There are seven major levels of classification. These seven major levels
from largest to smallest are: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family,
Genus, and Species. Each level can be divided into clusters of organisms
that are most closely related. These clusters form the next level of
classification. For example, each kingdom is divided into a smaller
phyla, each phylum into classes, each class into order, and so on all
the way down to species.

Another way to describe the different classifications is in terms of
shared genetic material. The creatures at each level share a greater
proportion of genetic material than those at the level below them. It is
for this reason that an understanding of species is so important: each
species represents a unique and irreplaceable genetic resource. The
concept of biodiversity cannot be properly understood without an
appreciation of the species.

Like all organisms, animals are named and classified into a hierarchy of
relatedness. Organisms in the same species are more closely related than
organisms in the same genus, and organisms in the same genus are more
closely related than organisms in the same order, and so on.

**Materials**

Game pieces

Classification reference diagram

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Students will be placed in groups of four and given a set
of game cards. They will be asked to place these animals into groups.
After a specified amount of time, ask each group to share how they
grouped their cards. Introduce the concept of taxonomy and categorizing
animals into groups. Refer to background information as needed.

***Activity:*** Students will be given a classification reference
diagram.

In the first column (address analogy) students are to write the country
they live. In the next column (general scientific terms) they are to
note the word kingdom. In the third column explain to the students that
there are two major kingdoms, plants and animals. Ask the students to
look at their game cards and determine which kingdom the pictured
species are in (students should write, Animalia. Animalia are eukarotic,
multicellular, and feed by ingesting other organisms or parts of other
organisms).

In the first column, second row, students should write the state that
they live in. In the second column, second row, students should note the
word phylum (monophyletic assemblage derived from a single ancestor.
Explain to the students that phyla can be sorted into arthropods
(animals without backbones, invertebrates) and chordates(animals with
backbones, vertebrates). Ask the students to sort their cards into the
two categories. In the third column, second row, students should write
chordata (members of this group are characterized by a notochord,
pharyngeal gill slits, a dorsal tubular nerve cord, and a postanal
tail). Students would retain only the animal cards in that category.

In the first column, third row, students should write the name of their
city. In the second column, third row, students should note the term
class. Explain to the students that in the phyla category there are four
classes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Amphibians have moist
skin, lay jellylike eggs and spend part of their life cycle in water.
They are ectothermic (cold-blooded). Reptiles have scales or horny
plates and usually lay leathery eggs. They are also ectothermic. Birds
have feathers and wings. They lay hard-shelled eggs and have no teeth.
Birds are endothermic (warm-blooded). Mammals are at least partially
covered by hair, have specialized teeth, are endothermic, and young are
nursed from mammary glands. Ask the students to sort their cards into
these classes. In the third column, third row, students should write the
word mammalia (members are at least partially covered by hair, have
specialized teeth, are endothermic, and young are nursed from mammary
glands). Students should retain only the cards from that class.

In the first column, fourth row, students should write their street
name. In the second column, fourth row, students should note the term
order. In the mammalia class there are five orders, rodents, primates,
carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores. Rodents are usually small
plant-eaters with gnawing teeth. Primates have five fingers with they
can move separately and have flat fingernails instead of claws.
Carnivores have sharp teeth, paws, claws, and eat meat. Have the
students sort their cards into these categories. In the third column,
fourth row, students will write the word carnivora (any organism that
eats flesh). Students should retain only these cards.

In the first column, fifth row, students should write their street
number. In the second column, fifth row, students should note the term
family. Ask them to divide their cards into families. In the third
column, fifth row, students will write the word canidae. Students should
retain only the cards that fit this category.

In the first column, sixth row, students should write their last name.
In the second column, sixth row, students should note the term genus. In
the third column, sixth row, students should write Urocyon. What card do
you have left?

In the first column, seventh row, students should write their first
name. In the second column, seventh row, students should note the term
species (a group of populations in which genes are actually, or
potentially, exchanges through multiple generations). In the third
column, seventh row, students have students write cinereoargenteus
(scientific name for grey fox).

***Wrap Up:*** Discuss the procedure just completed. Ask students to
verbalize the analogy used with the address being compared to the
classification system of animals. Students may play a game with the
animal cards. Students should create an acronym in order for them to
remember the classification order.

**Assessment**

Teacher can create a Classification Reference Diagram that has certain
terms omitted. Students will fill in the missing words. Teachers can
also name an animal and ask student to classify it.

All in the Family Activity\
Classification Reference Diagram

+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| **Address Analogy**  | # Classification      | **Name**             |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Kingdom             |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Phylum              |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Class               |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Order               |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Family              |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Genus               |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|                      | # Species             |                      |
+----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Why Do We Look the Way We Do?**

***How do animals adapt to their environment?***

**Summary:** This hands-on lesson is designed to provide students with
the opportunity to explore animal adaptations.

**Duration:** 2 class periods

**Setting:** Classroom/lab

**Vocabulary:** adaptation, flora, fauna, raptors, evolution, survival
of the fittest, Charles Darwin, natural selection

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC1-E2, SC2-E2, SC2-E3,
SC3-E1, SC4-E3, SC4-E4, SC4-E5, SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E6,
SC11-E2, SC11-E4

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   comprehend that birds physically adapt in relation to their food
    source.

-   deduce what beaks are most efficient for given foods by
    experimenting with imitation beaks and hypothetical food sources.

-   describe what would happen to a bird population if its environment
    could no longer support the bird's food source.

-   create a hypothetical bird for a desert environment.

**Background**

A change in physical appearance or behavior that allows an organism to
survive in its natural environment is an adaptation. Animals change over
time to fit the needs of their environment. If an environment changed
the animals in that environment would have to change---adapt---in order
to survive. Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest implies the
individuals with the best combination of inherited traits are most
likely to survive. Darwin's idea of natural selection implies that
organisms best suited to the environment will survive and reproduce,
therefore passing their genes to the next generation.

Animals change over a long period of time to fit their environment. Bird
bills and tongues are modified for a variety of feeding habits and food
sources. For example, the tongue of a woodpecker is barbed for
extracting grubs from the bark of trees. Sapsuckers excavate holes in
trees and use a brushlike tongue for licking the sap that accumulates in
these holes. The tongues of hummingbirds and other nectar feeders are
rolled into a tube and used for extracting nectar from flowers.

It is common practice to group birds by their feeding habits. This is
somewhat artificial because birds may eat different kinds of food at
different stages in their life history, or they may change diets simply
because of changes in food availability. Robins, for example, feed
largely on worms and other invertebrates when these foods are available.
In the winter, however, robins feed on berries.

The appendages of birds have also been modified. Some bones in the front
appendages have been lost or fused to serve as points of attachment for
flight feathers. The rear appendages are used for hopping, walking,
running, and perching. Perching tendons run from the toes across the
back of the ankle joint to muscles of the lower leg. When the ankle
joint is flexed, as in landing on a perch, tension on the perching
tendons is increased, and the foot grips the perch. The automatic grasp
helps the bird to perch even while sleeping. The muscles of the lower
leg can increase the tension on these tendons, for example, when an
eagle grasps a fish in its talons.

**Materials**

**Beaks:**

> 2 eyedroppers
>
> 1 pair of pliers
>
> 5 sets of chopsticks
>
> 4 tweezers
>
> 1 shoestring
>
> 1 sponge strip
>
> 1 straw
>
> 1 wrench
>
> 2 slotted spoons
>
> 1 strainer
>
> 3 tongs
>
> 1 envelope
>
> 1 bar-b-que fork

**Food:**

> Colored water
>
> Gummy worms
>
> Sunflower seeds
>
> Styrofoam
>
> Popped popcorn
>
> Rice
>
> Marshmallows
>
> Loose tea leaves

**Other:**

> Potting soil
>
> Shallow pans
>
> 8 boxes
>
> 8 cups
>
> Graduated cylinder
>
> Tree bark
>
> Data sheets
>
> Pictures of birds
>
> Overhead of beaks and feet

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Brainstorm ideas about what students know about birds.
What makes a bird a bird? What do birds need to survive? What kind of
foods do birds eat? Where do birds live? What kinds of birds can you
find by your home or school?

**Activity**

1.  On the overhead, discuss the different bird beaks (cracker,
    shredder, chisel, probe, strainer, spear, tweezer, Swiss Army
    knife), what they look like, what they do, what kinds of birds have
    them; students should be taking notes and drawing the beaks. Do the
    same with the bird feet (grasping, scratching, swimming, perching,
    running, and climbing).

2.  Around the room have the following stations set up:

    a.  A graduated cylinder filled with colored water

    b.  A dish of potting soil with gummy worms buried throughout

    c.  Sunflower seeds spread throughout a pan

    d.  A shallow dish of water with Styrofoam floating in it

    e.  A dish of water with loose-leaf tea

    f.  Popped popcorn

    g.  Rice grains tucked into the bark of a log

    h.  Marshmallows hanging on strings

3.  These stations represent different food sources available. Students
    will visit each station and predict what type of beak and which type
    of feet that particular bird needs to posses in order to eat that
    food source. Have the students write their predictions down.

4.  Discuss the students' predictions on the different stations to see
    if they are correct.

    a.  Nectar -- probing beak, perching feet

    b.  Worms -- Swiss Army knife beak, scratching feet

    c.  Seeds -- cracker or Swiss Army knife beak, feet may vary

    d.  Fish -- strainer or spear beak, swimming feet

    e.  Fine bits of vegetation -- strainer beak, swimming feet

    f.  Flying insects -- tweezer or Swiss Army knife beak, feet may
        vary

    g.  Small insects -- chisel beak, climbing feet

    h.  Meat -- shredder beak, grasping feet

5.  Divide students into groups (there are 8 challenges so divide
    accordingly). Each group will get a challenge. Pass out challenges
    and supplies to each group. After reading their challenge card the
    group should predict which beak (utensil) would work best for eating
    their specific food and write down their prediction on the data
    table. The group will then time (in seconds) how long it takes to
    obtain a given amount of food with each utensil (they must have
    three times for each utensil) and write the times on the data table.
    Then the students should average the three times and graph the
    results.

6.  Discuss the students' predictions and results. Have them write an
    explanation next to their prediction. Was their prediction supported
    with evidence? How do you see things differently after this
    experiment?

7.  Discuss and/or research the following questions: What might happen
    to a bird population if its natural environment experienced a
    natural disaster where all the flora (plants) and fauna (animals)
    were wiped out? What would happen if a farmer used an insecticide
    that killed off all the insects? What would happen to the
    woodpeckers and other birds that eat insects? What would happen if
    the old trees were cut down? Where would eagles and other raptors
    watch for their meals?

***Wrap Up:*** Students will create a bird that feeds on a particular
food source. The students must include adaptations, other than beaks,
that help the bird survive. For example: swimming feet for swimming
animals like ducks and geese. The students will draw the bird and write
a description of the adaptations needed for this bird to survive.

**Assessment**

Teacher observation, participation, notes, research, created birds with
description, complete data table

Bird Feet Adaptations\
Why Do We Look the Way We Do? Activity

+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| **Shape**       | **Type**        | **Adaptation**  | **Example       |
|                 |                 |                 | bird**          |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Climbing        | Enables the     | # Woodpecker    |
| dia/image49.png |                 | bird to climb   |                 |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | without falling |                 |
| 333333333334in" |                 | backwards       |                 |
| he              |                 |                 |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Swimming        | Web-lined feet; | Ducks and other |
| dia/image50.png |                 | used like       | web-lined       |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | paddles for     | swimming birds  |
| 333333333334in" |                 | swimming.       |                 |
| he              |                 |                 |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Perching        | Used to grab    | Robins          |
| dia/image51.png |                 | and perch       |                 |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | tightly.        |                 |
| 333333333334in" |                 |                 |                 |
| he              |                 |                 |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Scratching      | Used to scratch | Pheasants       |
| dia/image52.png |                 | soil in search  |                 |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | of food; have   |                 |
| 333333333334in" |                 | nail-like toes. |                 |
| he              |                 |                 |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | Grasping        | Have large      | Raptors         |
| dia/image53.png |                 | curved claws    |                 |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | used to snatch  |                 |
| 333333333334in" |                 | fish from the   |                 |
| he              |                 | water and grab  |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 | prey.           |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| ![](me          | # Running       | Have three toes | Fast running    |
| dia/image54.png |                 | rather than     | birds           |
| ){width="0.8333 |                 | four; making    |                 |
| 333333333334in" |                 | them run        |                 |
| he              |                 | faster.         |                 |
| ight="0.625in"} |                 |                 |                 |
+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------+

Pictures borrowed from: *The Norman Bird Sanctuary*

**Bird Beak Adaptations\
Why Do We Look the Way We Do? Activity**

  ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
  **Shape**                                             **Type**          **Adaptation**    **Example bird**

  ![](media/image55.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Spear             Spear-like bill;  Herons,
  height="0.625in"}                                                       adapted for       Kingfishers
                                                                          fishing.          

  ![](media/image56.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Probe             Long and slender; Hummingbirds
  height="0.625in"}                                                       used for probing  
                                                                          flowers for       
                                                                          nectar.           

  ![](media/image57.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Swiss Army Knife  A multipurpose    Crows
  height="0.625in"}                                                       bill; allows the  
                                                                          bird to eat       
                                                                          fruit, seeds,     
                                                                          insects, fish,    
                                                                          and other         
                                                                          animals.          

  ![](media/image58.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Cracker           Short, thick      Sparrows,
  height="0.625in"}                                                       conical bill;     Cardinals
                                                                          used for cracking 
                                                                          seeds.            

  ![](media/image59.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Chisel            Long and          Woodpeckers
  height="0.625in"}                                                       chisel-like       
                                                                          bills; used for   
                                                                          boring into wood  
                                                                          to eat insects.   

  ![](media/image60.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Tweezer           Thin and pointed  Warblers
  height="0.625in"}                                                       bills; used to    
                                                                          eat insects.      

  ![](media/image61.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Shredder          Sharp curved      Hawks, Owls
  height="0.625in"}                                                       bills; used for   
                                                                          tearing meat.     

  ![](media/image62.png){width="0.8333333333333334in"   Strainer          Long, flat bill;  Ducks
  height="0.625in"}                                                       used to strain    
                                                                          small plants and  
                                                                          animals from the  
                                                                          water.            
  ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------

Pictures borrowed from: *The Norman Bird Sanctuary*

# Why Do We Look the Way We Do? Challenges

# *Challenge #1 *You have been given a graduated cylinder of water as a food source. You have also been given sample beaks: 1) a shoestring, 2) a medicine dropper, and 3) a sponge tip. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes each "beak" to get 10mL of water from the graduated cylinder to the cup. Try several trials with each "beak." Record the three times in the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak." Construct a bar graph of the averages.

## *Challenge #2 *You have been given gummy worms as your food source. You have also been given sample beaks: 1) a straw, 2) chopsticks, and 3) a wrench. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes to remove the gummy worms from the dirt using each "beak." Use multiple trials, burying the worms after each trial. Record the times on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak." Construct a bar graph of the averages.

***Challenge #3\
***You have been given floating sunflower seeds as your food source. You
have also been given sample beaks: 1) pliers, 2) chopsticks, and 3)
tweezers. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes each
"beak" to crack the shell and remove the seed inside. Record the times
on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak."
Construct a bar graph of the averages.

***Challenge #4\
***You have been given Styrofoam squares as your food source. You have
also been given sample beaks: 1) chopsticks, 2) tweezers, and 3) a
slotted spoon. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes
each "beak" to remove all the Styrofoam squares from the water. Try
several trials, returning the squares after each trial. Record the times
on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak."
Construct a bar graph of the averages.

***Challenge #5\
***You have been given tea leaves as your food source. You have also
been given sample beaks: 1) a slotted spoon, 2) a strainer, and 3)
tweezers. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes each
"beak" to get all the tea from the water. Try this several times,
returning the materials each time. Record the times on the data table
provided. Calculate the average time for each "beak." Construct a bar
graph of the averages.

***Challenge #6\
***You have been given popped popcorn as your food source. You have also
been given sample beaks: 1) tongs, 2) a medicine dropper, and 3)
tweezers. A group member will gently toss some kernels into the air.
Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes to capture 20
kernels with each "beak." The kernels must be caught while they are
still in the air. Try this several times with each "beak." Record the
times on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each
"beak." Construct a bar graph of the averages.

***Challenge #7\
***You have been given rice as your food source. You have also been
given sample beaks: 1) a medicine dropper, 2) tongs, and 3) tweezers.
Your challenge is to find out how many seconds it takes for each "beak"
to remove thirty grains of rice from the tree bark. Try this several
times, returning the rice to the tree bark after each time. Record the
times on the data table provided. Calculate the average time for each
"beak." Construct a bar graph of the averages.

***Challenge #8***

You have been given marshmallows hanging from a string as your food
source. You have also been given sample beaks: 1) chopsticks, 2) tongs,
and 3) a bar-b-que fork. Your challenge is to find out how many seconds
it takes for each "beak" to remove five marshmallows from the strings.
Try this several times. Record the times on the data table provided.
Calculate the average time for each "beak." Construct a bar graph of the
averages.

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

# Bird Beak Challenge Data Table (Why Do We Look the Way We Do Activity)

Predict which beak (utensil) will work best for eating your specific
food source.

  ------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------
  **Sample Beak **Trial 1      **Trial 2      **Trial 3      **Average**
  Used**        Time**         Time**         Time**         

                                                             

                                                             

                                                             
  ------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------

Was your prediction supported with evidence? Explain.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

How do you see things differently now that you have completed this
experiment? Explain.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Help! I'm Dehydrating!**

> ***How do animals conserve water?***

**Summary:** This hands-on lesson is designed to help students
understand how difficult it is for animals to conserve water in a desert
environment.

**Duration:** 2 class periods

**Setting:** Classroom/lab

**Vocabulary:** conservation, nocturnal, adaptation, microhabitats

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E2, SC2-E1, SC2-E2, SC2-E3,
SC3-E1, SC4-E3, SC4-E4, SC4-E5, SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E4, SC6-E6,
SC6-E7, SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC14-E3

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   observe a model situation and make inferences about real organisms.

-   communicate their observations relating to specialized organisms
    adapted to dry desert environments.

**Background**

A variety of organisms live in almost any habitat you could name. The
desert, for example, is a challenging habitat for the plants and animals
that live there. Yet for thousands of years plant and animal species
have adapted and thrived in these arid lands. How? Because each organism
has its own way of life which often requires a different environment
from that of other organisms, plants and animals inhabit specific
microhabitats within the environment of a general habitat. This
microhabitat allows them to accommodate their needs and survive the
harshness of the desert. A microhabitat is simply a small, distinctly
specialized habitat.

For some animals their respite is the cool interior of a burrow.
Rattlesnakes, kit foxes, and kangaroo rats spend most of the day resting
in underground burrows. They choose the night for their active period to
avoid the intense dehydrating heat of the daytime sun. During the day,
the cool microclimate of their burrows helps protect them. How cool is
it? While the soil surface up top may be 165 degrees Fahrenheit, their
underground dens may be a livable 80 degrees Fahrenheit. In their cozy
microhabitat, these animals can conserve their energy for nighttime
hunting or seed gathering expeditions. Astonishingly, over half of all
vertebrate animals, including those that live in caves and underground,
are nocturnal.

During the dry times, animals such as the Spadefoot Toad, an amphibian
that lives in the American Southwest, Can be found in a burrow dug with
its spade-shaped back feet. It will continue to lie dormant until the
sound of raindrops hitting the surface awakens the toad. At that point
the race is on. Within approximately 8-10 days the cycle of finding a
mate to laying the eggs to becoming a toad will be complete.

Some plants use combined strategies of dormancy and an accelerated life
cycle. The seeds of the Sand Verbena will remain dormant (sometimes for
years) until there is enough rain. When there is sufficient rain, they
grow quickly, making their flowers and seeds and then dying all within a
period of a few weeks. Some plants bloom at night in order to minimize
water loss.

An arroyo, a ditch carved by water in desert regions, makes for the
perfect microhabitat for Javelinas. When the steep banks erode, shallow
cavities are created that provide warmth in the winter and cool in the
summer. The Javelinas will hide in these shallow cavities to prevent
water loss and stay cool on hot summer days.

Cave entrances can provide microhabitats for a variety of plant and
animal species and provide growing conditions similar to a forest. It is
not uncommon to find a fringe of green around the entrances to caves.
Upon closer examination, evidence of animals such as birds, snakes,
skunks, or mice living in the mouth of the cave can be found.

A variety of microhabitats can be found in any environment. Plants and
animals find "their place" in logs, under boulders, in cacti, or even
under a refuse can. Places such as a shady area under a tree or shrub
are microhabitats because they provide a home for shade loving plants or
respite for the desert lizards.

**Materials**

Sponges

Water

Natural desert materials (brush, vegetation, logs, etc...will be used as
protection from the dry heat)

Balance scales

Desert animal profiles

Data sheet

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Brainstorm ideas about what animals do to conserve water.
Write a list of the students' responses. What do desert animals do
during the day? How do they escape from the desert heat? What
adaptations have they made to survive in the harsh desert climate?

**Activity**

1.  Divide students into groups of 2 or 3. Each group will be given a
    sponge saturated with water. This sponge represents a desert animal
    with a very limited water supply. The students are to conserve as
    much of the animal's water as possible. For a 24-hour period the
    group is to care for the "creature" in a way to achieve this goal
    using only natural materials. The creature must remain in the open
    for at least 4 hours (this represents feeding time).

2.  The students should weigh their sponge to get a baseline weight of
    the sponge. Write this weight down to compare to the ending weight
    of that same sponge. Students need to develop a strategy to conserve
    the water in their critter, write it down and make a prediction on
    what they think will happen. During the 24 hour observation time the
    students will make and write down observations as to what is
    happening with their animal. At the end of the time the students
    should weigh their sponges and compare beginning and ending weight.
    Students should make inferences about the results in relation to
    real organisms. (There should be a control sponge that is left out
    for the whole time for comparisons).

3.  Have the students share their plan, predictions, and results with
    the entire class. Have a class discussion on methods, results, and
    how it all relates to adaptations for desert survival of real living
    organisms.

***Wrap Up:*** Students will invent a hypothetical desert animal. They
may either draw or build the animal and write the adaptations the animal
has that help it survive.

**Assessment**

Presentation of experiment results, animal presentation.

Name. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Help! I'm Dehydrating! Data Sheet

  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------
  **Sponge**              **Initial weight**      **Final Weight**

  **Control Sponge**                              

  **My Sponge**                                   
  ----------------------- ----------------------- -----------------------

My strategy to conserve water:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

### What I think will happen to my sponge: 

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

My observations:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

My results:

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

How does this relate to real organisms?

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Designer Animals**

***Can you create an animal that could survive in a given
environment?***

**Summary:** This lesson is designed to extend the student's knowledge
of animal adaptations. This lesson could lead to the concept of the
survival of the fittest (Darwinism).

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom/lab

**Vocabulary:** adaptations, global warming, habitat, ecosystem,
climate, camouflage, mimicry

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed**: SC1-E1, SC1-E2, SC2-E1, SC2-E2,
SC2-E3, SC3-E1, SC4-E1, SC4-E5, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC11-E1,
SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC11-E4

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   recognize animal adaptations.

-   create an animal that would survive in a given environment.

**Background**

Sometimes little things can turn into big things. If global temperatures
rise above normal levels for a few days, it's no big deal---the Earth
will stay more or less the same. But if temperatures continue to rise
over a longer period of time, then the Earth may experience some
problems.

The average global temperature has increased almost 1^0^ F over the past
century; scientists expect the average global temperature to increase an
additional 2 to 6^0^ F over the next hundred years. This may not sound
like much, but it could change the Earth's climate as never before. At
the peak of the ice age (18,000 years ago), the temperature was only
7^0^ F colder than it is today, and glaciers covered most of North
America.

Even a small increase in temperature over a long time can change the
climate. When the climate changes, there may be big changes in the
things that people and animals depend on. These things include the
levels of the oceans and the places we plant crops. They also include
the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Climate change may alter the world's habitats and ecosystems---all
living things are included in and rely on these places. Many of these
places rely on a delicate balance of rainfall, temperature, and soil
type. A rapid change in climate could upset this balance and endanger
many living things.

Most past climate changes occurred slowly, allowing plants and animals
to adapt to the new environment or move somewhere else. However, if
future climate changes occur as rapidly as some scientist predict,
plants and animals may not be able to react quickly enough to survive.

**Materials**

Drawing materials

Animal habitat cards

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Brainstorm and list animal adaptations. Remind students
that adaptations include camouflage, physical features, and behavioral
features that help animals survive in their natural habitats. It is now
the year 3000, humans are now able to design and create their own
animals. The task is to develop an animal that would survive in a given
environment.

***Activity:*** Students will be given 1 animal habitat card. The
students are going to draw an animal and label the adaptations that the
animal has that help it survive in the given environment.

> ***Criteria for animal:***
>
> Size
>
> What does it eat?
>
> How will it catch/get food and water?
>
> How will it keep warm/cool?
>
> Where will it take shelter?
>
> What is the animal's reproduction rate and gestation period?
>
> How do the parents and infants interact?
>
> How will it defend or protect itself from attackers?
>
> Your animal cannot be a top predator (one that can eat everything else
> and survive).

All the above criteria must be labeled on the animal to receive credit.

***Wrap Up:*** Students present and discuss the adaptations that their
animal has in order to survive in the environment they were given.

**Assessment**

Rubric

Designer Animal Habitat Cards

This habitat is dark and cold most of the time. It is very mountainous.
It rains almost all day. Because of the wet, dark conditions, the only
plants that grow well are small mosses and fungi. The animals in this
habitat include a type of mouse, a nocturnal large hunting cat, fish,
and a variety of insects.

This habitat is dry and hot. Most of the surface is flat. Water is
mostly found in underground streams, however there is a little water at
the surface. Most of the terrain is covered in sand, although there are
patches of dry grass. When plants are able to get their roots down into
the water table, they grow into tall trees with leaves at the top but
not along the trunk. Plants not connected to the water table are small
and dry, but they are edible. The animals in this habitat include
insects, a species of bird, which roosts in the high trees, a
sand-colored lizard, and a type of rat.

This habitat is tropical: wet and hot. Most of the terrain is
rainforest. The land is very flat. Water collects in large pools and
lakes, which have water in them all year round. A species of poisonous
plant grows thickly on the ground. The spines of this plant are
poisonous; any animal that steps on one is sure to die. The vegetation
is plentiful, and includes leaves, fruits, and nuts. Animals include
carnivorous snakes, varieties of insects, monkeys, fish, and birds.

This habitat has a moderate climate. It never gets very hot or very
cold, but stays mild all year long. It rains for part of the year and
the water forms pools and lakes that dry up towards the end of the year,
and then the habitat is very dry. The landscape is partly mountainous
and partly flat. Vegetation includes tall trees with high leaves and
fruit, and a smaller plant that bears nuts. However, these nuts are
inside hard shells that need to be removed before the nut can be eaten.
Animals include rats and mice which live underground, insects, birds
that nest in the tall trees, slow moving mammals which also live in the
trees, and a species of carnivorous nocturnal wolf.

Designer Animal Rubric

+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| # Designer Animal                            | **Self    | **Teacher  |
|                                              | eva       | ev         |
|                                              | luation** | aluation** |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Animal criteria:**                         |           | /28        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Size                                         |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| What does it eat?                            |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| How will it catch/get food and water?        |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| How will it keep warm/cool?                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Where will it take shelter?                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| How will it defend or protect itself from    |           |            |
| attackers?                                   |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| What is the animal's reproduction rate and   |           |            |
| gestation period?                            |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| How do the parents and infants interact?     |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Overall:**                                 |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Has the student fulfilled all the parts of   |           |            |
| the task?                                    |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Has the student chosen appropriate           |           |            |
| adaptations to help the animal survive?      |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Is the picture neatly presented and labeled? |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Percentage Animal Overall \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Animals That Live in the Dark**

***Can you correctly place cave animals in their place in a cave?***

**Summary:** This lesson is designed to extend the student's knowledge
of animal adaptations. This lesson will explore the life of cave animals
and where they live in the cave system.

**Duration:** 1 class period

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** trogloxenes, troglophiles, troglobites, twilight zone,
variable temperature zone, constant temperature zone, cave

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC2-E3, SC3-E1, SC4-E5,
SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC10-E2,
SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   place a group of cave animals into the correct placement within a
    cave system.

-   identify the 3 zones of a cave.

-   define the terms associated with cave life.

**Background**

There is an abundance of life within a cave. The characteristics and
adaptations these animals have depend on the location within the cave
that the animals live. There are three zones within a cave system.

The twilight zone is at the mouth of the cave, where the natural
sunlight still enters the cave. The twilight zone is cooler than the
outside temperature. Animals often take cover from the harsh outside
temperatures in the cool twilight zone. For example, snakes, raccoons,
packrats, skunks, birds, and some green plants grow. These animals are
known as trogloxenes---they are animals that sometimes call caves their
home.

The next is the variable temperature zone. The temperature here does not
change much from the twilight zone. However, it is DARK! Mushrooms,
molds, and fungi grow here. The animals that live in this zone include
bats, crickets, and salamanders. These animals are known as
troglophiles; they are animals that prefer to live in caves (they may
also live other places like bats) most of their life; however, they
leave the cave at night in order to eat. Green plants will not grow here
because they need sunlight to grow.

The final life zone in the cave is the constant temperature zone. It is
completely pitch-black. The air and water in this zone stay a constant
temperature. Some bacteria and mold grow here. Some very strange cave
dwellers live here as well. For example: blind crayfish, copepod, and
blind shrimp. These animals are blind and colorless. They rely on touch,
sound, and taste to find their food. These animals are called
troglobites. They are animals who live only in caves and cannot survive
anywhere else.

**Materials**

Paper

Pencils

Cave animal pictures

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Brainstorm and list animals you may find in a cave, as
well as information about caves.

**Activity**

1.  Discuss with students the three zones in a cave system. Discuss the
    characteristics and living organisms of each zone. As you go over
    the information students should take notes.

2.  Have the students draw a cave system and label the zones correctly.
    Then have the students place a list of organisms into the correct
    cave zones.

***Wrap Up:*** Go over the adaptations that the cave animals have in
order to survive in their special habitat. Make a list and discuss how
these adaptations help the animals survive.

**Assessment**

Has the student fulfilled all the parts of the task?

Has the student correctly labeled the three zones?

Has the student correctly placed the living organisms in the correct
place?

Is the picture neatly presented and labeled?

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Animals That Live In the Dark\
Worksheet

**Directions:** Using another piece of paper, draw a cave system, and
label the following cave zones and animals in the correct location.

-   Twilight Zone

-   Copepod

-   Cave Cricket

-   Snakes

-   Cave salamander

-   Constant Temperature Zone

-   Cave swallows

-   Barn owl

-   Blind crayfish

-   Bat

-   Variable Temperature Zone

-   Blind fish

-   Spiders

-   Isopod

-   Skunks

-   Ringtail

-   Bacteria

**Matching:** Identify each animal as trogloxenes, troglophiles, or
troglobites by circling the correct classification.

-   Bats trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Ringtails trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Blind Crayfish trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Skunks trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Mountain lions trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Cave Crickets trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Isopods trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Cave swallows trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Blind fish trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Spiders trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Copepods trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Snakes trogloxenes, troglophiles, or troglobites

**Animals that Live in the Dark\
Worksheet Key**

**Matching:** Identify each animal as trogloxenes, troglophiles, or
troglobites by circling the correct classification.

-   Bats trogloxenes, [troglophiles]{.mark}, or troglobites

-   Ringtails [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Blind Crayfish trogloxenes, troglophiles, or [troglobites]{.mark}

-   Skunks [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Mountain lions [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Cave Crickets trogloxenes, [troglophiles]{.mark}, or troglobites

-   Isopods trogloxenes, troglophiles, or [troglobites]{.mark}

-   Cave swallows [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Blind fish trogloxenes, troglophiles, or [troglobites]{.mark}

-   Spiders [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobites

-   Copepods trogloxenes, troglophiles, or [troglobites]{.mark}

-   Snakes [trogloxenes]{.mark}, troglophiles, or troglobite

Cave Animal Pictures\
(Animals that Live in the Dark)

These are just some examples of animals you might find in a cave. Look
carefully at the adaptations that these animals possess.

![](media/image63.jpeg){width="2.6194444444444445in"
height="1.8916666666666666in"}
![](media/image64.jpeg){width="2.6215277777777777in"
height="1.9055555555555554in"}

Camel "Cave" Cricket Mexican Long-Nosed Bat

![](media/image65.jpeg){width="2.620833333333333in"
height="1.9597222222222221in"}
![](media/image66.png){width="1.7041666666666666in"
height="1.9208333333333334in"}

Blind Cave Fish Copepod

![](media/image67.png){width="2.748611111111111in"
height="1.8347222222222221in"} ![](media/image68.jpeg){width="2.125in"
height="1.7597222222222222in"}

Harvestman Spider Burrowing Owl

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

Build An Animal

***Will your animal survive the harsh desert environment?***

**Summary:** This lesson is the culminating activity for the animal
unit. It will bring together the ideas discussed throughout the unit and
tie them together.

**Duration:** 1 to 2 weeks

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** phylum, hypothetical, theoretical, genus, species

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E2, SC2-E2, SC2-E3, SC3-E1,
SC4-E5, SC5-E3, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC10-E2,
SC11-E1, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   design a hypothetical desert animal and construct a model of that
    animal.

-   classify their animal into its correct phylum.

-   infer which physical structures help the animal survive in the
    desert.

**Background**

Review background information on these following lessons:

-   Why Do We Look The Way We Do?

-   Help! I'm Dehydrating!

-   Animals That Live in the Dark

-   Sorting Out Species?

-   All in the Family

-   Make a Desert Diorama

**Materials**

Colored paper

String

Colored clay

Pins

Straws

Buttons

????, Be creative on material for the animals. Be sure not to include
perishable items.

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Review animal adaptations in reference to their
environment.

**Activity**

1.  Review information on deserts, animal classification, and animal
    adaptations needed to survive in the desert.

2.  Decide what your hypothetical desert animal would look like (be
    creative -- make it look strange and different from anything you
    have ever seen). What special adaptations would it have?

3.  Name the animal using proper *genus* and *species* format and
    classify it in a real (APPROPRIATE) phylum. Example: a person is a
    *Homo sapien.*

4.  Describe in writing the animal's behavior, including the way it
    obtains food, the kind of dwelling it prefers, reproduction, its
    defensive behavior, and how it moves and gets oxygen.

5.  Use a variety of materials to create a model of the animal and
    answer the questions in the assessment section.

***Wrap Up:*** Students create the model of their animal and review
their writing. Both paper and animal will be turned in for a grade.

**Assessment**

> **Questions:** (Due at the same time as the animal model)

1.  Describe the specific physical conditions that exist in your
    animal's environment; include climate and landforms (temp, wind,
    rain, soil, and sunshine)

2.  For each condition above, describe a characteristic of your animal
    that makes it well-suited to the environment.

3.  State the characteristics that enable you to classify the animal in
    the phylum you selected.

> **Animal Grading Criteria**
>
> See rubric

**Extensions**

Create a story about the life of this animal and the future it may face.

Create a photo collage of animals dealing with dangers.

Make a short "documentary" video of an animal's habits and behaviors.

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Build an Animal Assessment Questions\
Due at the same time as the animal model!

1\. Describe the specific physical conditions that exist in your
animal's environment, include climate and landforms (temp, wind, rain,
soil, and sunshine).

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

2\. For each condition above, describe a characteristic of your animal
that makes it well-suited to the environment.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

3\. State the characteristics that enable you to classify the animal in
the phylum you selected.

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Classification Reference Diagram\
(Build an Animal Activity)

+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| **Address Analogy**   | # Classification      | **Name**              |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Kingdom             |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Phylum              |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Class               |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Order               |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Family              |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Genus               |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
|                       | # Species             |                       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Build an Animal Rubric

+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Build An Animal**                          | Self      | Teacher    |
|                                              | e         | evaluation |
|                                              | valuation |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Animal criteria:**                         |           | /16        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Animal created could survive in a desert   |           |            |
| > environment.                               |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Adaptations are appropriate for desert     |           |            |
| > survival.                                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Animal is classified into an appropriate   |           |            |
| > phylum.                                    |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Animal is named in the appropriate genus   |           |            |
| > and species format.                        |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| ## Writing:                                  |           | /8         |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Describe in writing the animal's behavior,   |           |            |
| including the way it obtains food, the kind  |           |            |
| of dwelling it prefers, reproduction, its    |           |            |
| defensive behavior, and how it moves and     |           |            |
| gets oxygen.                                 |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| Proper use of grammar                        |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Overall:**                                 |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student fulfilled all the parts of |           |            |
| > the task?                                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student chosen appropriate         |           |            |
| > adaptations to help the animal survive?    |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student correctly answered the     |           |            |
| > assessment questions?                      |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Percentage: Animal Writing Overall

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

The Nature Detective

***What plants and animals live in this habitat?***

**Summary:** This field trip is designed to help students become aware
of their natural surroundings using keen observation skills.

**Duration:** 2-5 hours

**Setting:** Outdoors (nature hike at a National Park or on school
grounds)

**Vocabulary:** riparian

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC2-E3, SC5-E2, SC6-E1,
SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC10-E2, SC11-E1, SC11-E2,
SC11-E4, SC11-E5

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   discover and use clues to infer what plants and animals live in a
    certain habitat.

-   take field notes about what is discovered.

-   construct a plants and animals field guide.

**Background**

Nature hikes are a very important concept in developing students'
personal relationships with nature. Developing a nature journal as the
students hike is a way for young explorers to observe, participate,
sketch, count, reflect, and write as they interact with nature.
Exploration activities, such as a desert scavenger hunt, encourage
youngsters to see smell, hear, and touch nature in their own intimate
way.

After a hike the students could research one plant and one animal to
include in a nature guide. Below are two nature guide entries that
include the appropriate information and layout (a nature guide would
include a photograph of the plant and animal).

> **Mountain Lion** -- *Puma concolor*
>
> **Size:** Total length about 78 inches, tail about 30 inches; weight,
> 100-200 pounds.
>
> **Habitat:** Almost any habitat with sufficient topographic or
> vegetative stalking cover. In the Southwest, it favors edges of
> rimrock country, where scrub desert ends and forest begins.
>
> **Range:** Throughout the western United States, Mexico, and
> southeastern Canada.
>
> **Also known as:** cougar, catamount (short for "cat of the
> mountains"), puma, and panther
>
> **Similar species:** Jaguar and ocelot have spots. Bobcat is much
> smaller, with a short, stubby tail.
>
> **Discussion:** The mountain lion's range once exceeded that of any
> other American mammal, extending from southeastern Alaska to southern
> South America and spanning the continental United States. Over hunting
> and habitat destruction have confined this secretive and solitary cat
> to large tracts of remote terrain.
>
> The male's territory averages a hundred square miles and may overlap
> with the smaller home ranges of several females. Mountain lions mark
> their territories with "scrapes"---visible mounds of dirt, needles,
> and twigs that are often scented with urine or feces.
>
> Though the habits of mountain lions vary from high mountains to desert
> to tropical jungle, their appearance is similar. As indicated by the
> name *concolor*, the cat's tawny coat is a monotone shade across most
> of its body, with lighter areas under the belly and inside the legs.
> It holds its tail---which is long, cylindrical, and may be tipped in
> black---close to the ground.
>
> This highly efficient predator dines mainly on deer. It stalks its
> prey, pouncing with full weight from close range. After making the
> kill, the lion drags the carcass to a secluded spot to gorge. When
> satiated, it covers the remaining meat with leave and soil, bedding
> near the carcass by day and returning nightly to feed.
>
> **Banana Yucca --** *Yucca baccata,* Agave Family (Agavaceae)
>
> **Description:** As a group, yuccas are generally widespread in the
> northern Chihuahuan Desert and are often the most obvious large plant.
> In *Yucca baccata*, the leaves are very thick, and the trunk is
> usually stout but short. This species flowers from April to June and
> rarely at other times of the year when temperature and moisture are
> adequate.
>
> **Habitat:** Also known as datil, the plants occur in rocky areas
> throughout our region. These plants can be found in Carlsbad Caverns
> National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and White Sands
> National Monument.
>
> **Discussion:** The edible large fruits, which look something like
> bananas, were eaten by Native Americans. The fresh flowers are also
> edible, and leaf fibers are used to make baskets and similar items.
>
> Rattlesnake Springs and Carlsbad Caverns Nature Trail, part of
> Carlsbad Caverns National Park, are great examples of places to take a
> hike. They are great examples of two different habitats. Rattlesnake
> Springs is a riparian area (an area with a water source) surrounded by
> lush vegetation and wildlife. Many of the animals you can see include
> aquatic life (crayfish, perch, and other fish species) and a variety
> of birds. The Carlsbad Caverns Nature Trail is a wonderful example of
> a desert environment. On the trail you can focus on the plant life of
> the Chihuahuan Desert and look for signs of animal life (tracks and
> scat).

**Materials**

Variety of desert plant and animal field guides

Pens and paper

Clipboards

Camera

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Focus the students on the purpose of the trip. We are
going to become Nature Detectives. We will have to closely observe our
surroundings to find clues about the plants and animals that live here.
With the information that we find we will be constructing a field guide.
For instance, in the Chihuahuan Desert we would include rattlesnakes,
Mexican Gray Wolf, Desert Agave, Soaptree Yucca, etc.

**Activity**

1.  Show the students the field guides and how to use them.

2.  Show the students how to set up their field notes and what
    information you want included (sketchings of plants, animals,
    tracks, and scat that you see, as well as descriptions on what they
    see, hear, feel, and smell).

3.  Divide the class into groups of 2. Have the pairs closely observe an
    area for a given amount of time and take notes, draw pictures, and
    take pictures of plants, animals, and things of interest that they
    see.

4.  Review with the students what they found.

***Wrap Up:*** Discuss the information that should be present in a field
guide. Have each student pick (or assign each student) a plant and
animal to research and put into the field guide. When each student is
finished with their research you should assemble them into one
student-produced field guide.

**Assessment**

Research on assigned plant and animal for the field guide.

**Extensions**

Students graph the colors they see while on the trip.

Blindfold the students and take them to a tree. They are to use their
senses of touch, smell, and hearing to learn as much about the tree as
possible. They are returned to a central meeting point and asked to find
their tree. Students can then describe the experience in a journal. What
did they learn about the tree? What was the most difficult part of the
experience?

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Nature Detective Field Guide Rubric

+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Nature Detective Field Guide**             | **Self    | **Teacher  |
|                                              | eva       | ev         |
|                                              | luation** | aluation** |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Animal criteria:**                         |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes a picture                         |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes both scientific and common names  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes a detailed summary with a         |           |            |
| > description of animal characteristics and  |           |            |
| > adaptations                                |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Plant criteria**                           |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes a picture                         |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes both scientific and common names  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Includes a detailed summary with a         |           |            |
| > description of plant characteristics and   |           |            |
| > adaptations                                |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Overall:**                                 |           | /12        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student fulfilled all the parts of |           |            |
| > the task?                                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student chosen appropriate         |           |            |
| > adaptations to help the plants and animals |           |            |
| > survive?                                   |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student used proper grammar and    |           |            |
| > sentence structure?                        |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Percentage: Animal Plant Overall \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

![](media/image3.png){width="0.6in" height="0.8346456692913385in"}

**Make a Desert Diorama**

***What plants and animals live in a desert habitat?***

**Summary:** This activity helps the students share their knowledge of
desert plants and animals and their natural habitat.

**Duration:** 2 class periods

**Setting:** Classroom

**Vocabulary:** microhabitat, desert

**Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:** SC1-E1, SC2-E2, SC2-E3, SC3-E1,
SC4-E5, SC5-E2, SC5-E3, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC11-E2,
SC11-E3, SC11-E6

**Objectives**

Students will:

-   design a diorama to show desert animals in their natural habitat.

**Background**

A diorama is a miniature scene with lifelike figures and objects set
against a painted or colored background. The diorama is like a stage set
that has all the props needed to represent the actual habitat (plants
and animals).

Desert animals have some impressive ways of handling the challenges of
desert life. Like plants, they need to beat the heat, get water, stay
warm on cool nights, and stay unburned on sunny days. Unlike plants,
they can't send down a taproot for water or a web of roots to catch
rain. They also do not make their own food using photosynthesis.

Animals do have one advantage: they can move around. Lizards waddle into
the sun to warm up, and then shift into the shade to cool down. Bats
migrate hundreds of miles so they can sip the nectar of many different
plants. A vulture flies high, where the air temperature is cooler and it
can get a better view of the ground.

Moving around is not the only way animals cope with desert conditions.
For many desert animals a meal is both food and drink. Seeds can be
20-50 percent water, enough to quench the thirst of plant eaters. An
animal's body may be as much as 75 percent water, so meat eaters get
water from their food, too. Some animals like the kangaroo rat actually
make water in their bodies, as a by-product of the foods they eat.
Others, like the desert cockroach can extract water directly from the
air.

The big ears of desert hares, rabbits, and foxes help them to keep cool.
Ears, long legs, and bare patches of skin where blood vessels are close
to the surface act as natural radiators. Blood circulating through these
spots radiates heat to the surrounding air. This cools the animal off.

Wet fur or skin can cool an animal even more. That's why kangaroo rats
lick their fur, foxes pant, and birds move their throats to evaporate
water from their lungs and mouths. All these animals make use of
evaporative cooling. The water on their skin absorbs their body heat. As
it evaporates, it takes some of that heat away from their bodies and
into the air.

To guard themselves against unpredictable desert food supplies, some
animals stock up. Harvester ants and kangaroo rats store bushels of
seeds in underground burrows for times of scarcity. Other animals go to
sleep when food is scarce. Pocket mice, kangaroo rats, some ground
squirrels, and some birds enter a state called torpor and may remain in
that state for months. In torpor their breathing and other body
processes slow down, saving energy. By saving energy, they need less
food. Venom also helps desert predators subdue their prey quickly, with
a minimum amount of energy.

**Materials**

Variety of desert plant and animal field guides

Cardboard boxes

Varity of art supplies (paints, markers, colored pencils, etc...)

A collection of natural objects (small rocks, plant material, leaves,
grass, etc...)

Glue

Scissors

**Procedure**

***Warm up:*** Review what the students know about desert plants and
animals. They should have a good understanding of adaptations, and how
these adaptations help the plants and animals survive in the desert.
Students will build a diorama displaying what we have learned about
desert plants and animals.

**Activity**

1.  Discuss what a diorama is and how to create one. Point out that in a
    diorama the background is the bottom of the box. It should be
    colored with a background that depicts the natural desert habitat.
    Then the animal and plant figures can be set in front of the
    background scene.

2.  Have each student pick an animal to research and learn about its
    natural environment.

3.  Give the students a box and have them begin making their dioramas.
    Each diorama must include at least one figure of the student's
    animal. Students can draw the animal, cut out the animal from
    another resource, make modeling clay animals, or use any other
    material they can think of. Encourage the students to be creative.
    Use as many natural objects as possible to help set the appropriate
    tone for the desert environment. Suggest that the students glue the
    objects into the diorama so that the objects do not move or fall out
    when they are carried.

***Wrap Up:*** Students share their dioramas with the class, explaining
the features of their animal's habitat.

**Assessment**

Rubric for diorama.

Name \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Desert Diorama Rubric

+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Desert Diorama Rubric**                    | **Self    | **Teacher  |
|                                              | eva       | ev         |
|                                              | luation** | aluation** |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Diorama criteria:**                        |           | /24        |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Diorama depicts a desert habitat.          |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Background is neat and depicts a desert    |           |            |
| > habitat.                                   |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Diorama includes at least one figure of    |           |            |
| > the animal.                                |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Diorama shows thorough knowledge of a      |           |            |
| > variety of desert plants and animals.      |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Student has included mirohabitats (places  |           |            |
| > the animal goes to escape the heat).       |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Student uses a variety of natural          |           |            |
| > materials to depict the desert             |           |            |
| > environment.                               |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Presentation:**                            |           | /8         |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Presenter followed appropriate speaking    |           |            |
| > rules (eye contact, voice, appeal,         |           |            |
| > enthusiasm)                                |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Presentation quality, organization,        |           |            |
| > appeal, and information                    |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| **Overall:**                                 |           | /4         |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+
| > Has the student fulfilled all the parts of |           |            |
| > the task?                                  |           |            |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------+------------+

4 -- no mistakes 3 -- few mistakes 2 -- many mistakes 1 -- incomplete
(however is present) 0 -- not evident or not included

Percentage: Diorama Presentation Overall \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_