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On earth the land animals seem strong
and independent, capable of movement, able to live in nearly all
environments, and of many diverse shapes and capabilities.
Are they indeed wild and free, or
have they been as carefully shaped by their surroundings as any work of
art? The Inuit people in Alaska say that "The sharp tooth of the wolf has
sculpted the slim legs of the deer."
Think about your animals, and
how their needs have shaped them to survive in their environments. Think
about the benefits and costs of specialization. Are your animals going to
be able to eat the plants that you created last week? Animals
inherit behaviors that help them to survive. Instinct is an innate,
inherited behavior, for example, nest building in birds. |
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Other behaviors are related to how the
body functions, for example, how often an animal has babies, and how many of
them are born at a time. When you study an ecological system, you see that
there are always some members of every kind of organism in the
system. Ecologies can be destroyed if there are too many of one
kind, or if there are too few. As you create your animals, give them
characteristics that will help them to survive. |
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Assignment:
Your group will work to
- discuss how your animals get out of the ocean. How do they
breathe? Cope with dehydration? Compensate for the loss of the
support of the water for their body weight? Reproduce? What do
they eat?
- sketch your land animals and show the stages that they have
grown through
- decide which animals will live in the different climatic
zones. How do they adapt?
- write descriptions of your planet's land animals
- draw a diagram to show how the animal species are related
to each other
- each person creates three animals.
Homework: Bring to class next session:
- The written description of how your animals emerge onto the
land and cope with its challenges.
- Sketches of the stages of your animals' evolution
- Sketches and descriptions of your animals in their different
climatic zones
- A diagram showing how the animal species are related to each
other.
Photograph from a Corel CD-ROM
: for viewing only, not for downloading. More Information.
©
1996,1997, 1998, 1999,
2000, 2002, 2003, 2004. 2005.
Elizabeth
Anne Viau.
All rights reserved.
This material may be
used by individuals
for instructional
purposes but not sold.
Please inform the
author if you use it
at
eviau@earthlink.net
.
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