K12 - Evolutionary Relationships of Carnivorans
Project
ID: 00000C356
Public
Driving Question: How does forelimb anatomy impact the predation strategies of cat and dog relatives? Learning Goals: This lesson will guide students through the various ecological and anatomical characteristics of modern, charismatic cats and dogs. They will then use extrapolation to make interpretations about the characteristics that lead to success in different ecosystems. Students will use 3D-printed forelimb bones of modern dogs and cats as well as fossil dogs to examine physical evidence of bone rotation, and will then link these functions to relative likelihood of survival in ecosystems with different prey animals. Students will end with a discussion of fossil dogs and two “strange” modern animals that do not fit into the cat or dog osteological models, and the students will draw conclusions about what this anatomy suggests about these animals’ niches and evolutionary relationships relative to other examined species. Lesson Plan: http://www.idigfossils.org/high-school/how-forelimb-anatomy-of-carnivorans-affects-ecological-niche-and-evolutionary-advantages/