Name: ___________________________________________________________ Date: __________ Bell: ___________
Creating Your Own Alien
When an environment presents characteristics that make life difficult for a life form we often use the
word extreme to label the environment. In this activity you will be the scientist designing an alien
creature that would best fit an extreme environment.
Materials:
Creature cards
Planet and moon environment cards
Markers/colored pencils
Procedure:
Step One: Design
1. As a group design one alien for each planet/moon. This alien should have characteristics
that allow it to live in the planet/moon environments described on your cards.
2. Fill out a creature card for each new alien and write which planet/moon it was designed for
on the back of the card.
Step Two:
1. Each member of your group should pick one of the aliens you designed to illustrate and
describe.
2. Your illustration must show all the adaptations that allow your alien to survive it’s extreme
environment.
3. Your illustration must include the environment the alien is expected to live in.
4. Be creative!
Step Three:
1. Write a paragraph that describes the adaptations your alien has to adapt to its
environment.
Analysis:
1. What characteristics of your creatures are similar to creatures found on Earth?
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2. Are there characteristics that your creatures possess which are not found with creatures on
Earth? ________What are they? ________________________________________________
3. Which of these planets/moons do you think is most likely to already have living organisms on
it? Explain your reasoning.
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4. On which of the planets/moons do you think Earth-like life forms could survive? Explain why
you think this.
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5. If you were going to start a colony somewhere in the solar system, which planet/moon would
be the most successful colonization site in your opinion? Explain your reasoning.
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