Welcome to Day Two of the Expedition!
Today, you are again visiting the National Zoo. Your team will investigate the adaptations and natural environment of an animal from the list below. Once this base information is gathered, you will choose a new environment in which to put your animal! Adaptations occur over long periods of time, but we are speeding up the process for this activity. Gather facts about the new environment and change your animal with new adaptations to help it survive there.
An example of adapting an animal:
Let's consider a Polar Bear, which you saw in the Base Camp Training. Look at the adaptations listed to the right. All these make the Polar Bear well suited for cold weather climates. What do you think would happen if we moved it to a warm climate? It might end up looking similar to those Naked Mole Rats! It would lose its fur to stay cool in the hot desert. It may still keep its blubber, but its now adapted for water storage, much like the camel you saw in the Training video. It may become smaller overall (less surface area) to avoid absorbing too much heat from the sun. The fur on its feet may turn into pads like the camel as well. You will find the changes you make will be similar to other animals already living in the new environment you choose! This makes sense because those animals have already had so much time to adapt and evolve to their current state.
Choose an Animal
View the map below to see the options for your second animal. Then, click on the button for your animal to begin observing it and learning more about its natural environment. Be sure to record your choice in the Journal!
Page References
Annotated Polar Bear. [Online Image]. Retrieved November 23, 2013 from http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/polarbeargallery.htm
Binoculars. [Online Image]. Retrieved November 23, 2013 from http://www.clker.com/cliparts/7/a/6/3/1313528957800209655Binoculars.svg.hi.png
Smithsonian Institute. (n.d.). Zoo Map [Online Interactive Map]. Retrieved November 22, 2013 from http://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/zoomap.cfm
Binoculars. [Online Image]. Retrieved November 23, 2013 from http://www.clker.com/cliparts/7/a/6/3/1313528957800209655Binoculars.svg.hi.png
Smithsonian Institute. (n.d.). Zoo Map [Online Interactive Map]. Retrieved November 22, 2013 from http://nationalzoo.si.edu/visit/zoomap.cfm