Name: ______Date______

Part I: Mission Preparation at the Zoo - Observation Table #1

Task / Name of Area #1
______
Student Observations
(written or drawn) / Name of Area #2
______
Student Observations
(written or drawn)
Climate
Notice your surroundings: temperature, humidity, precipitation, etc. (Read some of the signs! They help.)
Characteristics of Plant Life
Notice some of the common features in plants: height, leaf size, shape, colour, etc.
Questions to keep in mind; What proof of adaptation can you see? How did these plants adapt? What are the selection pressures? Is there evidence of convergent evolution?
Characteristics of animal life in this region.
Notice the animals of this region. Look at a few (3-4) different species and how they have adapted to the environmental condition. (ex. diet, features, size, etc.) Read the signs! Some speak about specific types of adaptations and variations!
Hint: Do not focus on mammals only! Observing fish and reptiles could help when you decide on the diet of your animal.

Name: ______Date______

Part I: Mission Preparation at the Zoo - Observation Table #2

Characteristics of Animal / My Animal:
______
Student Observations
(written or drawn) / Related Animal:
______
Student Observations
(written or drawn)
Physical
(size, feet, location of eyes and ears, body covering, teeth, tail, etc.)
Behavioural
(lives in isolation or in groups, passive or aggressive, nocturnal
or diurnal, reproductive strategies, etc.)
Ecological Role
(diet, predator or prey, role in food web)
Adaptations
(camouflage, mimicry, structural, physiological, etc.)
Comparison of Both Animals
Do they have one ancestor? If yes, can you find examples of divergent evolution? Of parallel evolution? Are they different species that have undergone convergent evolution as a result of similar ecological roles and selection pressures

Once you review your observations with your editor, you are ready to board the time travel machine and head to the future! (Otherwise known as Part 2.) Please report to your teacher before embarking on your journey 

Name: ______Date______

Part 2: Mission to the Future - Observation Table #3

Task / Observations
Environment
Notice your surroundings: changes in climate (temperature, humidity, precipitation), vegetation, wild life, etc.
Characteristic of Future Animal
Physical appearance (ex. size, feet, location of eyes, ears, body covering, colour (are males and females different), teeth, tail, size of extremities, method of locomotion, special features if any…)
Behaviour
(ex. lives in isolation or in groups, passive or aggressive, when is it active).
Ecological Role
(ex. diet, is it a predator or prey, how does it fit into the food web)
Selection Pressures
(sexual selection, availability of habitat, food, prey-predator ratios, competition, disease, etc.).

Point form notes are acceptable. Turn the page over and draw a sketch of your future animal.

Sketch of Future Animal: