Hand-out sheet showing various examples of hares and rabbits. Three exhibit cases from the Field Museum. Students were introduced to the variety of the earth's biomes, i.e. tundra, taiga, deciduous forest, grassland, desert, rain forest, fresh water and salt water. These areas form habitats wherein can be found animals and plants which have survived because they possess qualities which enable them to adapt to that specific area. As an example, the students are told about a fictitious former student who always preferred to sit in the back of the room even though he had poor vision.
Students then receive the hand-out concerning the rabbit and hare.
We focus on the snow-shoe rabbit in order to discuss the useful adaptation that provides the animal with a white coat during the winter. The class then proceeds to make judgments about the animal's food on the basis of the dentition. This leads to a determination of whether the animal is a predator or prey. As the latter, is decided students next theorize as to the rabbit's natural enemies and its ability to escape or defend itself from them. These hypotheses derive directly from the size and shape of the animal.