Science Programming
Secondary School Ages 15-18
Classification
The Bell Pettigrew is a museum of Zoology, so most of the
specimens you will see are animals. All animals are members
of the kingdom Animalia. There are 4 other kingdoms of life –
what are they called?
Monera, Fungi, Protista, Plantae
The next division below the level of kingdom is phylum. How
many phyla are in the kingdom Animalia?
36
Each phylum is divided into a number of subdivisions. What
are the main levels of classification?
Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Classify each of the following animals – include phylum,
class, order, genus and species as well as any others you
can find.
Human
Tapeworm
(Case 6)
Nematoda
Secernentea
Ascaridida
Ascaris
lumbricoides
Common
Squid
(Case 9)
Mollusca
Cephalopoda
Teuthida
Loligo
vulgaris
Lugworm
(Case 10)
Annelida
Polychaeta
Arenicola
marina
Giant Spider
Crab
(Case 13-14)
Crustacea
Malacostraca
Decapoda
Macrocheira
kaempferi
Classification
Silk Moth
(Case 12)
Hexapoda
Pterygota
Lepidoptera
Bombyx
mori
Cow
(Floor)
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Bos
taurus
Hammerhead
Shark
(Case 17)
Chordata
Chondrichthyes
Carchariformes
Sphyrna
zygaena
Alligator
(Case 20)
Chordata
Reptilia
Crocodilia
Alligator
mississipiensis
Golden Eagle
(Case 23)
Chordata
Aves
Falconiformes
Aquila
chrysaetos
Human
(Yourself)
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Homo
sapiens
Which phylum contains the most species?
Nematodes (Insects also acceptable)
Which phylum takes up the most cases in the museum?
Chordates
Are the answers to these two questions different? Why do you
think this might be?
Chordates are bigger – they need more space to display
Collectors were biased towards larger and more attractive animals
Evolution
Radiation
Look at Case 39.
What does homology mean?
A structure is shared by common descent
How many different functions has the pentadactyl limb adapted
to?
4 – walking, swimming, flying and grasping
Look at the different types of limb and fill in the table.
Type
Definition
Examples
Plantigrade
Uses the whole foot
Bear, human
Digitigrade
Uses tips of toes
Cat, elephant
Unguligrade
Uses hooves/nails
Horse, cow
Convergence
Look at the marsupials (Cases 28+48) and the placentals
(Cases 28-32)
Even though these two groups of mammals are separated by
millions of years of evolution, they have converged on many of
the same ecological niches. Find these convergences and fill in
the table.
Marsupial
Placental
Large Carnivore
Thylacine
Wolf, big cat
Browsing Herbivore
Kangaroo
Deer, antelope
Spiny Insectivore
Echidna
Hedgehog
Evolution of flight
Look at the vertebate cases
How many times has flight evolved in the vertebrates?
3 – Pterosaurs, birds and bats
Almost all birds can fly, but many have lost this ability.
Look at case 33 and try to find out how many times birds
have lost the ability to fly.
At least 10 times, some in only one species, some in entire
families
Sexual Selection
Look at cases 37 and 38.
The males of some of these birds have elaborate and
brightly coloured plumage.
What advantage do these feathers give to the bird?
Attract a mate
Can you think of any disadvantages?
Attract predators
Impede flight