Name: Date: Block:
Dragon Genetics!
Purpose: To demonstrate your knowledge & skills in genetic principals of the following terms:
- Simple Dominance: Traits are either DOMINANT or recessive
- Incomplete Dominance: Traits are bLeNdEd
- Codominance: Both traits are fully expressed, ex: spots/stripes
- Multiple Alleles: superscripts show the variations of traits
Supplies: 2 coins, colored pencils, this activity sheet.
Directions: Work through steps 1-3 independently; draw your dragon. Then work through steps 5-8 with a partner. Turn this activity in when finished!
~ INDEPENDENT WORK ~
Step 1: Flip a coin to determine the gender of you dragon. Heads = female, tails = male. Congratulations, your dragon is a ______!
Step 2: Determine the traits your dragon will have, flip a coin to determine the following:
Trait / H/H / H/T / T/T / Type of DominanceSize / Small / Medium / Large / Incomplete Dominance
Wings / Small / Small / Large / Simple Dominance
Legs / 4 / 6 / 2 / Codominance
Body Covering / Fur / Fur & Scales / Scales / Codominance
Color / Yellow / Green / Blue / Incomplete Dominance
Spots / Red / Red / Black / Simple Dominance
Stripes / Orange / Orange / Purple / Simple Dominance
Horns / Small / Medium / Large / Incomplete Dominance
Eyes / Brown / Hazel / Blue / Codominance
Fire Breathing / No / No / Yes / Simple Dominance
Tail Spikes / None / One / Two / Codominance
Step 3: Draw your dragon, according to its phenotypes, on the next page!
Continue to Step 4 on the next page
Step 4: Use this traits key to determine and circle the genotypes your dragon has:
Trait / Dominant / Heterozygous / Recessive / Type of DominanceSize / ZZ / ZL / LL / Incomplete Dominance
Wings / WW / Ww / ww / Simple Dominance
Legs / GG / GE / EE / Codominance
Body Covering / FF / FS / SS / Codominance
Body Color / YY / YN / NN / Incomplete Dominance
Spots / OO / Ot / tt / Simple Dominance
Stripes / RR / Rp / pp / Simple Dominance
Horns / HH / HA / AA / Incomplete Dominance
Eyes / BB / Bb / bb / Codominance
Fire Breathing / FF / Ff / ff / Simple Dominance
Tail Spikes / KK / Kk / kk / Codominance
~PARTNER WORK ~
Step 5: When dragons reach maturity at the age of 100 years, they’re able to breed and pass on their genes to the next generation. With a partner, choose 2 traits from your parent dragons to complete the following dihybrid Punnett square to determine baby dragon’s traits. For example: Wings and Horns (WWAA) or Fire Breathing and Spots (Fftt). Write the mother dragon’s genotype on the top, and the father’s genotype on the left – remember to foil!
Mother’s Genotype: ______Phenotype: ______&______
Father’s Genotype: ______Phenotype: ______&______
Step 6: There are Multiple Alleles which determine the characteristics of what a dragon’s eggs will look like. Each partner will now flip their coin to determine their egg characteristic genes.
Small = eb Medium eB Large = EB Many Spots = eT Few Spots = et No spots = Et
Characteristic / H/H / H/T / T/TSize Gene1 / Small / Medium / Large
Size Gene 2 / Small / Medium / Large
Spots Gene 2 / Many spots / Few spots / No spots
Spots Gene 1 / Many spots / Few spots / No spots
Step 7: Solve the Punnett Square to determine what your baby dragon’s egg will look like:
Choose 1 of the 4 possible egg genotypes, write it here: ______
Write out the egg’s phenotype: ______
Step 8: Draw and color your baby dragon’s egg in the nest below: