Animal Adaptations Project Essential Question #2

Background Information… It is the future, the year 3000, and it is now possible for humans to build planets and genetically engineer (or create) plants and animals to live on that planet. You are one of the animal scientists, and it is your job to design and create an animal which will be perfectly suited to its environment on this new planet.

Your Mission… Choose one of the following environments of already created planets. Create a fictional animal which is going to be strong and resilient enough to survive in that environment. **Your animal must FIT INTO the existing food chain – it cannot be the ultimate predator (the one which can eat everything else and nothing can eat it).

When creating your animal, you must decide… What is its name? What planet does it live on? What does it look like? (Size, shape, features) What does it eat? How will it catch/get food and water? How will it keep warm/cool? Where will it shelter? How will it protect/defend itself from attackers? Where does it fit into the food chain?

You must create… A poster or model that includes the following: –A neat, detailed, colored picture/model of your creature that has all adaptations labeled.This picture must take up an entire 8x11in paper. –A neatly written paragraph that describes how each adaptation helps this creature survive on its planet. Paragraph must be written on an unwrinkled piece of notebook paper (or typed) and attached to picture.

Animal Adaptations Project- Due Friday 4/11 ITEMPOINTS Animal has a name (2) and home planet is identified (2)4 Size (2), description of physical appearance (2), and coloration (2) of adult animal is described with measurements (2). 8 Paragraph includes what it will eat (2), how it will catch its food (2), and how it will obtain water (2) 6 Paragraph includes how it will stay warm/cool (2), and where it will shelter (2) 4 Paragraph includes how it will protect itself from predators (4)4 Paragraph includes where it will fit into the food chain (who hunts it, who it will hunt) (4) 4 Paragraph is written in pen or typed (2), neat (2), organized (2), and contains proper spelling (2) and grammar (2). 10 Illustration/model is neat (2), colorful (4), & adaptations are labeled w/ arrows (4) 10 TOTAL50

Timeline… This project is being assigned on: MONDAY, MARCH 31. This project is due on: FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014 You will have time in class on: MONDAY & WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK You will have time at home to work: FROM NOW UNTIL APRIL 11

Possible Planets… You may choose one!

Planet #1 CLIMATE: This planet is dark and cold most of the time. TERRAIN: It is very mountainous. WATER AVAILABILITY: It rains almost all day. PLANTS: Because of the wet, dark conditions, the only plants that grow well are small mosses and funguses. ANIMALS: Animals on this planet include a type of mouse, a nocturnal hunting large cat, fish, and a variety of insects.

Planet #2 CLIMATE: This planet is dry and hot. TERRAIN: Most of the planet is flat. WATER AVAILABILITY: Water is found in underground streams but there is little water on the surface of the planet. PLANTS: Most of the planet’s surface is covered in sand, although there are patches of dry grass. When plants can get their roots down into the water table, they grow into tall trees with leaves at the top but not along the trunk. Plants which are not connected to the water table are small and dry, but they are edible. ANIMALS: Animals on this planet include insects, a species of birds which roost in the high trees, a sand- colored lizard and a type of rat.

Planet #3 CLIMATE: This planet is tropical: wet and hot. Most of the planet is covered by rainforest. TERRAIN: The planet is very flat. WATER AVAILABILITY: Water collects in large pools and lakes which have water in them all year ’round. PLANTS: A species of poisonous plant grows thickly on the ground. The spines of this plant are poisonous, and any animal which steps on one is sure to die. The vegetation is plentiful, and includes leaves, fruits and nuts. ANIMALS: Animals include carnivorous snakes, varieties of insects, monkeys, fish and birds.

Planet #4 CLIMATE: This planet has a moderate climate. It never gets very hot or very cold, but stays mild all year ’round. TERRAIN: The planet is partly mountainous and partly flat. WATER AVAILABILITY: It rains for part of the year and the water forms pools and lakes which dry up towards the end of the year and then the planet is very dry. PLANTS: Vegetation includes tall trees with high leaves and fruit, and a smaller plant which bears nuts. However, these nuts are inside hard shells which need to be removed before the nut can be eaten. ANIMALS: 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.

Possible Adaptations…in no particular order Claws, sharp teeth, sense of smell, long arms, talons, beaks, tusks, venom, wings, flippers, lungs, gills, camouflage, night-vision, mimicry, speed, long neck, fur, feathers, scales, blubber, ability to lay eggs, ability to nurse their young, sharp sense of smell, carnivorous, herbivorous, ability to fly, nocturnal, long tongue, spines, bright coloration, long tail, warm-blooded, cold- blooded, hooves, paws, shells, long snouts, 4- legged, 2-legged, lives in nest, lives in burrow/cave, lives alone, lives in pack,