-CLASS SET OF DIRECTIONS: DO NOT WRITE ON OR TAKE WITH YOUBuild​-a-​Beast PROJECT DIRECTIONS
This activity demonstrates an important part of evolution: ​adaptation​.
Adaptation is "an alteration or adjustment in structure or habits, often
hereditary, by which a species or individual improves its condition in
relationship to its environment." In order to survive in an environment, an
animal needs to adapt, to develop traits that fit it to where it lives. For
example, mountain goats have padded hooves to grip the rocks on which they climb, giraffes are tall
to reach the leaves of tall trees, and frogs have long, sticky tongues to catch insects to eat, and are
colored brown or green to match their environments so that predators do not notice them. In fact,
nearly everything about an animal is an adaptation of one kind or another. Think of a trait that an
animal has, and then think of how that trait helps it to survive or reproduce in its environment.
Plants also adapt to their environments in order to survive. For example, cacti are able to store
water because they live in dry places, and they have spines to discourage animals from eating them.
The flowers of flowering plants are an adaptation for attracting bees and butterflies, which enable
the plant to reproduce.
This activity is about creating animals with useful adaptations. The animal's environment is given,
because that is how Darwin's theory of evolution and adaptation work: the individual organisms
that are best adapted to their particular environments survive, so the adaptations gradually appear
in more and more of the population. Different adaptations are helpful for different environments:
For a rabbit living in the Arctic, white fur would be helpful to avoid being seen by predators. For
a rabbit living in the woods, being white would make it more conspicuous, but being brown
would be helpful.
This activity will also explore the various ​mechanisms​ of evolution. You will have to make
predictions on how “What If!” scenarios will affect an individual’s fitness, and future of the
population of beasts. For example, if your beast is born with a mutation that caused it to have
longer, stronger legs. Your beast will now be able to catch more prey because it can run faster
than other members in the beast population, thus increasing its fitness.
To "build a beast," first roll a die for each category to determine
the conditions under which the animal lives. Then make up, write
about, and draw an animal which has adaptations to be able to live
well in that kind of environment.
BUILD A BEAST
This assignment will be graded on the below criteria. The Point Value column tells
what each category is worth. All categories add up to a total of 100 that can be
earned.
Student Name: __________________________________
CATEGORY
​
Date: ______________
POINT VALUE
I .​Characteristics
25
Each of the 5 characteristics should be listed on the
paper. 5 points for each characteristic.
2. ​Classification of Beast
10
Your beast needs to have a name. The beast's name cannot
replicate an already existing organism such as turtle, dinosaur,
monkey etc. Common name and Scientific Name in correct
format.
3. ​Explanations for Adaptations
30
Based on your characteristics, you
will need to select appropriate adaptations for your beast to survive.
At least 4 adaptations should be explained and labeled ON THE
BEAST POSTER, can be physical or behavioral adaptations.
4. ​"What if!" Scenarios
25
Answer the following questions on your Beast Poster:
a) Mutations:​ Is the mutation an adaption? Does it increase
fitness, if so how?
b) Genetic Drift​: Was this an example of the bottleneck
effect or founder effect? How will population’s alleles be
affected?
5. ​Neatness/ Creativity
TOTAL:
10
100
Block: __________
POINTS EARNED
PART 1: CHARACTERISTICS
A) WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
1 - mountains
2 - flatlands
3 -rocky, harsh
4 - small island
5 - near a volcano
6- in a cave
B) HOW MUCH WATER IS THERE?
1 -almost none; dry and barren
2 - water part of the year, drought the rest
3 - lots of precipitation all year
4- near a coastline
5- in a swamp
1. After rolling the dice and ​circling​ your
beast’s characteristics, determine the
adaptations needed to survive in the
environment
2. Create your ​BEAST POSTER​! Poster
should show their environment and
adaptations should be labeled and
explained.
3. After the poster is complete, roll the dice
again to reveal the fate of your beast’s
species in the “What If?” scenarios
below. Explain how these scenarios
would affect the future of your beast’s
species survival.
6- in the ocean
PART 2: “WHAT IF?” SCENARIOS
C) WHAT IS THE CLIMATE/WEATHER LIKE?
1 -hot and humid
2 - hot and dry
3- moderate
4- cold, rainy, and windy
5 - seasons change from hot to cold
A) MUTATIONS
6- sub-zero temperatures
5- Lost of eye sight
1- Thick fur coat
2- Dry scales
3- Sharp claws
4- Long heavy tail
6- Increased sense of smell
D) WHAT DOES IT EAT?
1 - leaves from tall plants
2 - fungus growing under rocks
3 -berries, plants, and small animals
4 - water animals
5 - swift running deer-like animals
6 - flying insects
E) WHAT EATS IT?
1 - stompsuckers squash it flat
2 - vampire butterflies land on it and suck it dry
3 - buzzbugs lay eggs that burrow into its skin
4- web devils set gooey traps to catch it
5 - ratrax packs are wolf-like and chase it
6 - megaworms leap out of the sand and swallow it
B) GENETIC DRIFT
1- A brush fire kills 90% of the population, only
leaving beasts with claws.
2- A flood kills 90% of the population, only
leaving beasts with dry, waterproof scales.
3- A virus has infected and killed 90% of the
population. The only survivors were the beasts
with thick furs that were immune to the virus.
4- A group of winged beasts decide to move to an
island, and take your beast with them.
5- A group of slithering beasts kidnap your beast
to an uninhabited part of the desert.
6- A group of tree climbing beasts take your beast
to a new forest to begin a new colony.