Pacemaker Pack: Mammals Over the Ages (Upper)

(F or 9-11 y ear s) (For year ears)

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Mammals Over the Ages

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

Activities in . te to Extend Talented Students o c . che the Regular Classroom e or r st super

Edited by Sandy Tasker. © Ready-Ed Publications - 2006.

Published by Ready-Ed Publications (2006) P.O. Box 276 Greenwood Perth W.A. 6024 Email: info@readyed.com.au Website: www.readyed.com.au COPYRIGHT NOTICE Permission is granted for the purchaser to photocopy sufficient copies for non-commercial educational purposes.

However, this permission is not transferable and applies only to the purchasing individual or institution.

ISBN 1 86397 577 2

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Contents Teachers’ Notes ........................................................................................... 4 Student Record Sheet ................................................................................. 6 Mammals for Little Ones ............................................................................. 7 Picturenary ................................................................................................. 8

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Make the Connection .................................................................................. 9 Fossicking Fossils ..................................................................................... 10 Make a Good Impression ........................................................................... 11

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A Mammoth Task ....................................................................................... 12

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An Icy Interview ........................................................................................ 13 Dino-World ............................................................................................... 14

Disappearing Act ...................................................................................... 15 Rise of the Mammals ................................................................................. 16

What’s on the Menu? ................................................................................. 17

How to be a Hunter .................................................................................... 18

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Snap! ....................................................................................................... 20 • f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Having Their Say ....................................................................................... 21 How to be an Escape Artist ........................................................................ 19

In the Family Tree ...................................................................................... 22

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Creature Features ...................................................................................... 23 The Ultimate Creatures .............................................................................. 24

Dream Up a Story ...................................................................................... 25

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Prehistoric Pop-Ups .................................................................................. 26

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Where Did They Go? .................................................................................. 27 Extinctionopoly ......................................................................................... 28

Human Impact .......................................................................................... 29 Our Ancient Land ...................................................................................... 30 An Aussie Giant ......................................................................................... 31

In Tune ...................................................................................................... 32 New Paws on Our Shores ........................................................................... 33 A Pouchful of Activities ............................................................................. 34 Answers .................................................................................................... 36 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Teachers’ Notes This fully revised series was initially devised as a means of providing extension for students within the regular classroom, whilst catering for the needs of the teacher and providing materials that were designed along educationally sound lines.

Although the content and layout for the revised series has been completely updated, the principles behind the series remain the same, using CONTENT LEVELS as a basis for categorising activities. The key to this approach, which we term the appropriate curriculum model, is that students are presented with activities appropriate to their levels of understanding of the content together with their mastery of the requisite higher-order thinking processes. The levels are an adaptation of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, still a widely accepted and valued model of education.

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Below are the Content Levels and Indicators used in this book:

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What it means

What the student does

FINDING OUT: Recalling data, showing understanding through restating or extending ideas.

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Content Level 1

Answers factual questions, interprets information, describes or illustrates events.

Content Level 2 What it means

USING INFORMATION: Using information in a new situation through extending or breaking down concepts being studied.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Content Level 3 •f o rr evi ew pur posesonl y• What the student does

Problem solving based on knowledge gained. Making assumptions.

What it means

CREATING / EVALUATING: Putting together ideas to develop new products, making judgements based on new information.

Puts forward theories or original ideas and designs, forms and states opinions on theories.

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What the student does

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Moving Through the Content Levels

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It is important that higher-order activities such as those at Content Level 3 are underpinned with a solid base of knowledge — the tasks and activities aligned with Levels 1 and 2 are designed to establish and expand this. It should never be assumed that students have the requisite content knowledge, but be prepared to advance students quickly to higher-level activities if they demonstrate a sound understanding of the facts and concepts presented in Levels 1 and 2.

In considering the structure of this material, it is envisaged that in the heterogeneous classroom situation, the series can be implemented as follows:

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Child Ability Level

Interpretation

M Above Average ________________ Emphasis on Level 2/3 M Average _____________________ Emphasis on Level 2 M Below Average ________________ Emphasis on Level 1 Many pages contain activities from more than one level. In this case, the TIME taken on each part will change focus, according to the outline above.

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Teachers’ Notes Using the Pacemaker Packs in the Classroom > Promote interest in the theme — Set up a classroom learning centre that may contain: • Books and posters; • Models and artefacts; • CD-ROMS; • Art supplies and plenty of writing and drawing paper; • A “theme” table with items brought by students from home.

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> Decide on the approach to the theme that suits you and your students best: • Teacher-directed with the whole class completing teacher-assigned sheets at a specified time (teacher records progress).

• Student-directed with students working through materials at their own pace at a specified time (student records progress).

• As an interest-based approach with students working from a selection of photocopied worksheets at their own pace (student monitored and recorded).

• As supplementary materials to a unit of study.

You may wish to use this series as a Learning Centre, with photocopied sheets displayed in pockets that students can select from, perhaps set up like this:

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons AMMALS M •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Two covered strawboard sheets, hinged for easy storage and display.

Pockets for photocopied Pacemaker sheets.

Slots - for title.

Instructions for use.

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Relevant resource books for research.

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Relevant resource books for research.

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Before commencing, talk over the activities contained in the book with your class.

Encourage students to broaden their thinking to suit the open-ended nature of the upperlevel activities, helping them to understand that there is not “one correct answer”.

Outline a procedure for the activities: • How will students store and present their completed worksheets?

(In a file, a booklet, a plastic sleeve.)

• How can students work on the contents? (Individually, in pairs, in small groups.)

• From where can further research sources be obtained?

• What people or organisations might be able to help?

• How and when will the sheets be available? / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Student Record Sheet

Name: .............................. ..............................

Topic: Activity

Date Finished

Student Comments

Teacher Comments

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________ __________________ ______________________ © Rea dyE dPubl i ca t i ons ________________ ________ __________________ ______________________ •f orr ev i ew__________________ pur poses onl y• ________________ ________ ______________________

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Mammals for Little Ones

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The points listed below are all clues to features of mammals which make them different from other types of animals. Investigate what each one means when applied to mammals and complete each sentence. Draw a diagram to help explain.

Help source: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/index.shtml

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Mammals feed their young by:

____________________________ ____________________________

The kinds of teeth that mammals have are:

____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________

Write some more fun facts about mammals here:

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Mammals can control their body temperature by:

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© ReadyE____________________________ dPubl i cat i ons ____________________________ ____________________________ • f o r r e v i e w pur posesonl y• ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________

Mammals have a body covering which helps to:

Mammals have intelligence which allows them to:

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You are a famous children’s book writer. Use the plan above to draft a short picture-book for junior primary students about mammals. (Not prehistoric ones—that topic is for YOU.) Related Outcome: Students will identify features that differentiate mammals from other types of animals.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Name:

Picturenary

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Draw lines to match the pictures on the left with the prehistoric words on the right hand side of the page. You will be using many of these words as you work your way through the book. Alongside each word, write what it means.

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Hint: An online dictionary or encyclopedia might help!

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incisors: _______________________________ ______________________________________

______________________________________

carnivores:______________________________

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evolution: ______________________________

______________________________________ pre-history: _____________________________

______________________________________ marsupials: _____________________________

© ReadyEd______________________________________ Publ i cat i ons fossils: ________________________________ •f orr evi ew p______________________________________ ur posesonl y• canines: _______________________________

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______________________________________ warm-blooded animals: ____________________ ______________________________________

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herbivores: _____________________________ ______________________________________

hibernate: ______________________________ ______________________________________

molars: ________________________________ ______________________________________ Make a crossword from these words, using your meanings as clues. Test a classmate who has not studied this topic yet to see how good your meanings are.

Related Outcome: Students will find out the meaning of words on the subject of prehistoric mammals, and use them in a creative context. Subject Areas: English – Reading, Writing; Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Make the Connection

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Using a different colour for each of the time periods listed down the left hand side of the page, draw lines linking together:

TIME - FACTS - PICTURES Then, on a separate piece of paper, neatly put the information in its correct order to make a timeline about the first mammals. Perhaps you could cut out the pictures to use in your timeline. The first one has been done for you.

TIME

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220 million years ago

50 million years ago A tree-climber

PICTURES

TRICONODON was one of the first mammals. Carnivorous, furry and the size of a cat. Young probably fed on milk.

AEGYPTOPITHECUS was a lightly built, puny ape which lived in the forest. Survived well because of intelligence.

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A ‘semi-mammal’

FACTS

60 million years ago

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A glider

NOTHARCTUS climbed trees and had sharp eyesight. Ancestor of the modern lemur.

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CYNOGNATHUS isP a mammal-like © R e a d y E d ubl i cat i ons reptile.

Hairy with legs tucked A meat eater under its body, it was 2 metres long.

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190 million years ago

. t eago o 250 million years c . che e r o t r s super Mostly reptile

35 million years ago Ancestor of apes and humans

PLANTETHERIUM was like a flying squirrel that could glide upside down from trees but could not fly properly.

DIMETRODON was about 3 metres long. It had some mammal features but was mostly reptile with scaly skin and a sail on its back to catch the sun.

Related Outcome: Students will match diagrams to headings and brief descriptions of prehistoric mammals.

Subject Areas: English – Reading; Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Fossicking Fossils One way that we know about how animals lived many millions of years ago is by studying fossils.

You are a palaeontologist who has been asked to make a museum display on how fossils are formed. Starting from the first box on this page, make a flow diagram to help school students learn about fossil formation.

Name: .............................. ..............................

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An animal dies in swamp or mud area.

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Research other ways that fossils can be formed.

Source: Try www.howstuffworks.com/question609.htm

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Human fossils: Investigate ancient (e.g. Egyptian) and modern (e.g. cryonics) methods of preserving human bodies and create a flow diagram for them. How are these similar to fossils that were formed naturally? What are the reasons for preserving humans then and now?

Related Outcome: Students will investigate several methods of fossil formation.

Subject Areas: English – Reading; Science – Life and Living, Natural and Processed Materials.

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Make a Good Impression

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Objects like twigs, fern leaves and shells have made fossils by falling into soft material and being covered by sediment. The object gradually rots away, leaving a space that in turn becomes filled with a rock-making material.

Create history and make your own fossil.

You will need: Plasticine, plaster of Paris, a twig or shell to use as a fossil model.

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Press your object into the Plasticine so that it makes a good, deep impression.

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Roll out some Plasticine with a rolling pin or glass bottle.

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Mix up Plaster of Paris (1 part water to 2 parts © ReadyEdPub l i c t othenmould. s plaster) anda pour iti into •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

Remove the object and build a Plasticine wall around the base.

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Leave for about 15 minutes to set. Turn upside down and pull the Plasticine carefully away from the plaster.

Make your fossil look more realistic by decorating with paint and sand.

Related Outcome: Students will follow instructions to create their own fossil.

Subject Areas: Science – Natural and Processed Materials; Art – Visual Arts. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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A Mammoth Task A palaeontologist is:

Name: .............................. ..............................

______________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ He or she might be found working in ____________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________

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Find a picture of a WOOLLY MAMMOTH and examine its body shape and interesting features. In the space below, draw how a fossil display of a mammoth may look after it has been set up by a palaeontologist. Remember that some bones may be missing. How could these be shown?

The Woolly Mammoth. Set up by palaeontologist ____________________________

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Research the kind of tools that palaeontologists may use. Imagine that you discover a fossil underground in your back yard and you decide to investigate it. Draw some household items in the space below, with a description on how they could be used to help you with your dig, e.g. using a toothbrush for removing small areas of hard sand.

Related Outcome: Students will use their understandings of palaeontology to design displays and draw familiar items that could be used as tools. Subject Areas: Science – Natural and Processed Materials. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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An Icy Interview

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As a result of a number of ICE AGES that have occurred over the past million years the bodies of some prehistoric mammals were perfectly preserved in the ice.

You are a palaeontologist who has discovered a frozen human being in the ice of northern Russia. You manage to bring the ancient fellow to life for a short while. Design an interview of 10 questions that you would ask your newly thawed friend to help you find out about his or her life one million years ago.

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1 _______________________________________________________________________

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2 _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

3 _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

4 _______________________________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons 5 _______________________________________________________________________ • f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

6 _______________________________________________________________________

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8 _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 9 _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

Swap your questions with a friend and answer each other’s questions. See if you can come up with an agreement on what life was like two million years ago.

Related Outcome: Students will use an interview format to determine appropriate questions to ask about prehistoric living.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living; Society and Environment – Time, Continuity and Change. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Dino-World During the “Age of the Dinosaurs”, which lasted about 140 million years, mammals continued to develop although they were always dominated by the giant reptiles. The dinosaurs seem to have suddenly and dramatically disappeared about 64 million years ago, and scientists still cannot agree on a definite theory.

Name: .............................. ..............................

But what if dinosaurs still survived today? How might we humans have developed and lived peacefully with dinosaurs. Write down some ideas and then make a picture display called:

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S “LIVING TOGETHER - DINOSAURS AND US”

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Here are some ideas to help get you started. Write some notes next to each idea. Make sure you include plenty of your own. You may even wish to pool your ideas with a friend and make a mural together.

• How dinosaurs help us: _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

• Dinosaurs down on the farm: ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

• Dinosaurs in the city: _________________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Dinosaurs – the perfect family pets: ______________________________________________ •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• ________________________________________________________________________

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• War and peace with dinosaurs: ______________________________

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• Dinosaurs and world leadership: _____________________________

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____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

After you have created your mural, choose one or more of the following to create:

> Encyclopaedia entries about the role dinosaurs played in three important historical events. > A website homepage for today’s dinosaurs. > A children’s book about “Dinosaurs in our Community”. > A model of how dinosaurs help us with public transport. > A brochure for dinosaur clothing fashions. > A government policy agreement between dinosaurs and humans.

Related Outcome: Students will develop ideas of how our world would change if dinosaurs existed today.

Subject Areas: Society and Environment – Culture, Natural and Social Systems; Technology and Enterprise – Design. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Name:

Disappearing Act

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Make a list of different possibilities for the disappearance of dinosaurs and put them in order from 1 (most likely reason) to 7 (least likely reason).

These starters might give you some help: dramatic climate changes, enemies, food unavailability, continents shifting, disease, and so on.

Rank your ideas here:

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1] ________________________________________________________________________ 2] ________________________________________________________________________

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4] ________________________________________________________________________ 5] ________________________________________________________________________ 6] ________________________________________________________ 7] ________________________________________________________ Choose one of these ideas and conduct further research.

Prepare a report to be published in a science magazine.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons There have been many amazing theories, including countless jokes, such dinosaurs smoking orw aliensp planting all dinosaur bones onn earth as a• hoax.

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Check out some more at palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/ (101 Crazy Theories) and then draw your own “joke theory” in a cartoon below.

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“The reason that dinosaurs disappeared ...”

Related Outcome: Students will use logical and creative thought processes to consider a variety of reasons for the extinction of dinosaurs. Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living; Society and Environment – Place and Space. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Rise of the Mammals

Name: ..............................

The disappearance of the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago saw the .............................. beginning of the “Age of Mammals”. Over a period of several million years, mammals began to change to suit the new places that they lived in.

Some adapted to living in trees by developing hands with which they could grip branches. Some developed bodies suited to life in the water and some began to eat only plants, whilst others ate only meat.

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• Here are four such animals:

Coryphodon – 2 metres long, resembled a hippopotamus

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Basilosaurus – a 21 metre long prehistoric whale

Aegyptopithecus - a primate

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Sabre-tooth cats – 2.5 metres long

What to do: On a piece of art paper, paint a picture showing the four different types of environment that these animals had.

Complete your prehistoric picture by including groups of each of the animals shown above in the area in which they lived. You might like to include where they took shelter, what they ate and how they moved.

Related Outcome: Students will create an artistic piece that shows natural habitats of prehistoric mammals (given their physical features). Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living; Arts - Visual Art. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Name:

What’s on the Menu?

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Different types of diet affect how an animal develops and lives its life.

Complete these sentences below:

A carnivore is an animal that __________________________________________________ A herbivore is an animal that __________________________________________________

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Using these modern carnivores and herbivores as examples, look at the differences between these two groups. You might need to use books and internet references to help.

Questions

Cats and Tigers

Deer and Goats

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What food do they eat?

What shape are their teeth?

How do they move?

What shape are their feet?

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• What do they use their feet for?

How do they protect themselves from enemies?

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What animals might be their enemies?

Humans are known as omnivores. We eat both meat and plants. Write down some things about our bodies and our behaviour (think about how we prepare and eat food) that enables us to eat both.

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What helps us to eat meat?

What helps us to eat plants?

Related Outcome: Students will compare features and behaviours of carnivores and herbivores, and consider how omnivores have adapted to a varied diet. Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Name:

How to be a Hunter

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Think about these adaptive features of carnivores and give a good reason why the animals may have developed the particular feature.

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Colouring of tigers _________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

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Speed of cheetahs __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Claws of cat family ___________________________________________________________

Pack hunting of wolves ____________________________________ ________________________________________________________

Large incisor teeth of lions _________________________________ ________________________________________________________

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Colouring of polar bears ______________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Strong jaws and molars of hyenas ______________________________________________ •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

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Condition

Extreme heat

Extreme cold

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What about us? Humans have adaptive features that help our bodies fit into our environment, but we have also made many changes to our environment to help us adapt where our bodies can’t. Fill out this chart to show how our bodies have adapted and how we have changed our surroundings to suit each condition.

Our Body

Man-made Changes

Sweat glands

Air conditioning, insulation, etc.

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The need to communicate

Predators/venomous animals The need to travel long distances • The main two parts of the human body that have enabled us to create so many changes to our environment are our br________s and our h________s.

Related Outcome: Students will analyse features and behaviours of carnivorous creatures.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living, Natural and Processed Materials. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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How to be an Escape Artist

Name: .............................. ..............................

Where carnivores adapt to catch their prey, herbivores rely on survival tactics by means of escape. Write a sentence for each below to explain why the following adaptions may have evolved: Speed of rabbits ___________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

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Height of giraffes ___________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

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Antlers of deer ___________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________

Long legs of giraffes ______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

Spines of echidnas _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons ___________________________________________________________________________ •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• You are the owner of a restaurant that wishes to cater for all tastes. Design a menu that

Herd living of deer ___________________________________________________________

People who like meat dishes; Vegetarians; People who are allergic to dairy products; People who are allergic to wheat products; People who eat anything and like variety.

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• • • • •

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includes entrees, mains and desserts so that there is something on offer for these people:

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Write your menu ideas in the box below and then present your menu on a separate page.

Include decorations and the name of your restaurant. Test it out by showing the menu to your classmates and making a graph of the most popular menu items.

Related Outcome: Students will analyse features and behaviours of herbivorous creatures and consider a restaurant environment that caters for a range of dietary choices. Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Name:

Snap!

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Your task is to make a card game that represents a wide variety of the mammal world. You must do this by first finding 3 - 5 examples of a mammal in each category. Write the mammals in the boxes below.

Visit a website to help you find each type, e.g www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/index.shtml

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Monotremes

Marsupials

Rodents

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Primates

..............................

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Carnivores

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For your card game, you need to make up 2 cards for 12 of the mammals.

You need: 2 sheets of stiff A4 card, white paper, wrapping paper, glue, scissors, pencils.

• • • • • • •

Glue white paper to one side of the card and wrapping paper to the other.

Rule 3 lines across the page and 2 lines down the page.

Cut out the 12 cards.

Do this a second time to create 24 cards.

Choose two mammals in each category from your list above.

Draw each one twice, writing the name underneath.

You now have matching cards for 12 mammals.

Your cards can be used to play a memory-matching game or a “snap” game.

Related Outcome: Students will categorise and draw a range of mammals under various sub-categories.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Ready-Ed Publications

Name:

Having Their Say

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A new zoo is opening up in your city, and the owners decide to allow a committee of animals to be formed so that they can have their say on what the enclosures are like.

Choose ONE mammal to speak for each group and find out what this group might want in their area. Think about their size, food, shelter, climate, enemies, etc. Also consider if they are nocturnal or day animals.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S PRIMATES: We need lots of trees for shade and to swing from.

We like to eat fruit, leaves, seeds, tree bark, plant bulbs, shoots, flowers and insects. We need a lot of space and we like some toys to play with. We like to use leaves and branches to make a “sleeping nest”. Please keep our babies with their mums.

MARSUPIALS:

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Draw your chosen mammal speaker next to the right speech bubble and write what they would say about the things they would like in their section. The primates one has been done for you.

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f or r evi ew pur posesonl y• MONOTREMES: RODENTS:

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CARNIVORES:

HERBIVORES:

Related Outcome: Students will consider basic design requirements for the habitats of various mammals.

Subject Areas: Science - Life and Living / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Ready-Ed Publications

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In the Family Tree We know that the WOOLLY MAMMOTH was the huge, hairy ancestor of our elephant and that the WOOLLY RHINOCEROS was the forerunner of the rhino. But where did some of our other modern mammals come from?

Name: .............................. ..............................

Hyracotherium or Eohippus (meaning “dawn horse”) was the earliest-known horse. It was the size of a tiny dog, being only 60 cm long and 20 cm high at the shoulder.

This primitive horse had four hoofed toes on the front feet and three hoofed toes on each hind foot. It had a long skull with 44 long-crowned teeth. It was a grazing herbivore that ate soft leaves and plant shoots.

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Eohippus lived during the early Eocene Epoch, about 50 million years ago. It lived in the Northern Hemisphere (in Asia, Europe and North America). The first fossils of this tiny horse were found in England by the famous palaeontologist Richard Owen in 1841.

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Find a picture of this ancient horse and draw it in the first square. Then make a flow chart to show how this horse may have evolved to become the horse as we know it today. Use sources such as www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/index.shtml

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

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Imagine that humans of today are merely the ancestors of highly developed beings that are going to exist 100 000 years from now. What special features and skills will humans have in the future? On the back of this page, draw a chart to show how we evolve into these super-beings.

Related Outcome: Students will use a flow-chart to depict evolutionary changes in the physical appearance of mammals.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Ready-Ed Publications

Name:

Creature Features

.............................. ..............................

Look at the adaptive features of the modern herbivores below. Research to see if you can find out WHY each mammal developed its particular feature. When you have collected your information, present it in an interesting way. Don’t forget to write down the references that you used.

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An elephant’s trunk: _________________________________ ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

The several parts of a cow’s stomach: _________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons ___________________________________________________________________________ •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• ___________________________________________________________________________

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A horse’s hoof: _____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

A camel’s hump: ____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Related Outcome: Students will research and develop theories for the development of specific adaptive features in mammals.

Subject Areas: English – Reading; Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Ready-Ed Publications

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The Ultimate Creatures Use your knowledge of mammals and their features to design an ultimate mammal that has the following adaptations: • • • • • •

Name: .............................. ..............................

Can see extremely well at night; Can travel long distances quickly; Can survive very cold nights and very hot days; Is camouflaged in an Australian bush landscape.

Can walk easily through thick grass and muddy swamps; Is able to cope with the spines of echidnas (its main diet).

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Draw your mammal below, labelling all of the parts mentioned above. On the back of this sheet, draw your mammal in its natural habitat.

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

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What will you call your mammal? ________________________________________ Related Outcome: Students will use understandings of existing adaptive features in mammals to develop a mammal that is able to adapt to a variety of situations. Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living; Technology – Design Process. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Ready-Ed Publications

Name:

Dream Up a Story

.............................. ..............................

Australian Aboriginals told stories about how the native animals acquired their interesting features.

One such story tells of how the kangaroo and the wombat were once friends, until one stormy night, when the selfish wombat refused to share his shelter with the lazy kangaroo. The kangaroo became angry and dropped a large rock on the wombat’s head. In revenge, the wombat threw a spear into the kangaroo’s back. This tells how that wombat got its flat head and the kangaroo got its tail.

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Source: www.sacred-texts.com/aus/mla/index.htm Read some other stories of the Dreamtime.

You can explore the Internet or find some books in your library.

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There are many different beliefs about how animals developed their special features.

Write your opinion in the space below:

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Choose an Australian mammal with an interesting feature and make up your own story about Put the ideas for your story in the space below:

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how that feature was made. It might help if you give the animal a character, so it can talk and think in your story.

How the __________________ got its _____________________

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Transform your story into a comic strip that is suitable for young children.

Related Outcome: Students will use the Dreamtime Story model to create an imaginative piece about a mammal’s physical feature.

Subject Areas: English – Writing; Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Name:

Prehistoric Pop-Ups

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Make stand-up paper models of the animals on this page: 1] 2] 3] 4] 5]

..............................

Trace the animal onto another piece of paper.

Fold the paper along the line of the animal’s back.

Cut the shape out with the paper still folded Colour the animal on both sides.

Open the paper so that the animal stands up.

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Prehistoric deer

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Make a slit in the head to put the antlers in.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

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Platybelodon

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Sabre-toothed cat

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Research the habitat of one of these prehistoric mammals and make a diorama habitat out of a shoebox, using recycled and natural materials. Paint a background onto the back of the shoebox. You could even include some pop-up trees or other animals.

Related Outcome: Students will follow instructions to create an artistic work, using researched facts to design a habitat for stand-up models.

Subject Areas: English – Reading; The Arts – Visual Art. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Ready-Ed Publications

Name:

Where Did They Go?

.............................. ..............................

Here is a formula for the extinction of prehistoric mammals: Evolve to suit surroundings « Climate, plants and prey change « EXTINCTION

Some managed to escape the impact of changes in the environment, but others followed this formula and disappeared.

See if you can decide what happened to the prehistoric mammals in the table below.

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In the last column, write how the mammal could have adapted to avoid extinction.

What did it eat?

Why did it What could have become extinct? saved it?

Slow herbivorous animals

Prey became larger and faster.

Baluchitherium A giant plant eater

Leaves from the top of trees

Forests disappeared.

Smilodon A sabre-toothed cat

Large elephants

The large elephants became extinct.

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Changes that occurred

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Name

Oxyaena A carnivore

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Woolly mammoth and woolly rhino

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Ice age came to an end.

Humans wanted skin and meat.

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

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In the midst of animals becoming extinct why did human beings continue to thrive and develop? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Related Outcome: Students will apply logical thinking to determine reasons for animal extinction.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Ready-Ed Publications

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Name:

Extinctionopoly

..............................

You work for an animal conservation organisation and you decide to educate children by making a board game about mammals that are at risk of extinction.

..............................

• Make counters to represent these players: Tiger Blue whale Giant panda Elephant Or choose some endangered mammals that you know about.

Harp seal Orangutan

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• Have each player throw dice to allow the animal to make its way to safety, passing through a series of man-made traps on the journey. Some of these might be:

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Used for clothing Poisoned by chemicals Driven out by building development

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Hunted for sport Used for food

• You will need to decide the penalty for landing on these squares in the game.

Make some “chance cards” as well, with some good and bad scenarios, e.g.

Helped by fundraising Sent to a wildlife park Global warming

Greenpeace rally Oil slick A new predator

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Name of your game: _________________________ Draw your plan and ideas here: •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

• Make your game as educational and creative as you can.

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Related Outcome: Students will demonstrate knowledge of extinction and endangered species in a creative context.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living; The Arts – Visual Art. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Ready-Ed Publications

Name:

Human Impact

.............................. ..............................

We know that many prehistoric mammals became extinct as a result of climatic and vegetation changes, and that modern mammals face a much more rapid extinction because of the activities of human beings.

Try these activities to educate and motivate humans.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Read all about it!

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Make a BOOKLET on some of the conservation measures that humans can take by researching, writing and drawing information on the following: Wildlife reserves Hunting bans

Protected species Fundraising

Culling Any other ideas

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At the end of your booklet, create a section: MESSAGE TO HUMANS – “FIVE RULES TO AVOID MAMMAL EXTINCTION”

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The Writing’s on the Wall …

What if you had to let all the mammals know that they are in danger and that they must work to avoid becoming extinct.

Create an illustrated poster to show some important survival skills or ways that mammal species can continue to exist.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Give Me a Voice •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Find out about an endangered mammal that you would like to save. Give this animal a voice Pin it up on the wall (make sure that you let all passing mammals know about it!).

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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by writing a speech from the mammal’s point of view about how it feels being part of a dying group. Appeal to the emotions of humans—this speech can be read out as part of a television or radio commercial. Draw your mammal and write the speech below.

__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

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__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

Related Outcome: Students will use a variety of strategies to convince others of human impact on animal survival.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living; English – Writing, Speaking and Listening. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Name:

Our Ancient Land

..............................

Scientists believe that the first prehistoric mammals probably laid eggs like .............................. reptiles, and that later mammals might have given birth to tiny babies that crawled into a pouch on the mother’s stomach and continued to develop over the next few months. The final group of mammals have their young develop fully inside the mother’s body before birth.

The Australian continent is unusual in that it contains examples of : • Egg-laying mammals, called MONOTREMES • Pouched mammals, called MARSUPIALS • Other mammals, called PLACENTAL MAMMALS

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Koala:

Echidna:

Rabbit:

Is a

Is a

Is a

because

because

because

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In the spaces below, choose which type of mammal you think each animal is and provide one fact to prove your answer.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Dingo: Platypus: Kangaroo: orr evi e pur poses nl y• Is a •f Isw a Is a o because

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The Amazing Pouch

> The newborn kangaroo finds its way to the pouch by crawling with its two front limbs. It cannot see or hear so it is likely that its keen sense of smell helps it to find its way. > The journey to the pouch usually takes less than three minutes. > Inside the pouch are four teats. The young begins to suckle on the teat soon after it arrives in the pouch.

The teats provide different types of milk for different stages of development. > Joeys (baby kangaroos) spend at least 198 days in the pouch full-time and stay in and out of the pouch until about 235 days. Source: www.answersingenesis.org > A kangaroo can have three young at three different stages of growth – one just out of the pouch, one developing in the pouch and one embryo developing inside the kangaroo. The developing embryo can be on “pause mode” if there is a joey in the pouch! Source: http://koalaexpress.com.au Draw what you think the inside of a pouch looks like from the joey’s point of view.

Related Outcome: Students will categorise mammals into sub-categories according to known features and behaviours.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Ready-Ed Publications

Name:

An Aussie Giant

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PROCOPTODA was a giant kangaroo that lived in Australia about one million years ago. This marsupial was about three metres tall. How would he compare with some objects that you are familiar with?

Construct a PICTURE GRAPH below that shows the COMPARATIVE HEIGHTS of everything listed below. Do this by marking a suitable scale up the side of your graph, measuring each thing on the list and drawing a picture of that height on the graph.

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a door

today’s red kangaroo (1.5 m)

PROCOPTODA

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your desk your teacher

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

How many times larger than you was PROCOPTODA? _______________________________

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Think of five advantages this giant kangaroo would have over its modern version:

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Imagine that these giant kangaroos were still surviving when man first arrived. On the back of this page, draw a scene from an Aboriginal cave painting that includes PROCOPTODA. Related Outcome: Students will compare a prehistoric mammal to modern counterparts.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living; Maths – Measurement. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Ready-Ed Publications

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•

Name:

In Tune

..............................

What if a traveller discovered a PROCOPTODA in the outback of the Australian bush and brought it to your town on display? Think of the excitement—people would flock to see the prehistoric creature—everyone would be talking about it.

..............................

To celebrate the ancient animal’s arrival, a radio station has set up a competition with some special prizes. To enter the competition you need to:

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• Write a song about ”PROCO—the giant kangaroo” to the tune of another famous Australian song.

• Design a CD cover for your song.

Song:

Explanation:

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• Write in 100 words or less why you are excited about seeing this giant creature.

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After drafting your ideas above, complete neat copies on separate pieces of paper.

Related Outcome: Students will compose a song and design a CD cover about an extinct mammal.

Subject Areas: The Arts – Music, Visual Arts; English – Writing. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Ready-Ed Publications

Name:

New Paws on Our Shores

.............................. ..............................

One of the main reasons that prehistoric marsupials and monotremes survived in Australia was because no placental mammals, which survive more easily, were originally here. Placental mammals were introduced by people such as the Aboriginal people and the early European settlers.

Find out some more information about the introduction of the animals below. What were some good and bad outcomes from their introduction?

This website might assist you: http://www.animalliberation.org.au

Rabbit

Dog

Horse

Introduced By

Good Outcomes

Bad Outcomes

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Animal

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© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons Sheep •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

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Fox

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Cat

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If you could change the introduction of one of these animals, which one would it be, and how would you change or control the introduction? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Imagine that you are one of these introduced animals. Write a “postcard from Australia” to your family back home about your experiences in this new land. Include a picture on the other side.

Related Outcome: Students will research the positive and negative outcomes of animal introduction to Australia.

Subject Areas: Science – Life and Living; Society and Environment – Time, Continuity and Change. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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A Pouchful of Activities 1 Choose from these prehistoric pastimes:

FINDING OUT • Make up a chart showing “what I know”, “what I want to know” and “what I have found out” for your study of prehistoric mammals.

• Find out about ”early man”. Where have fossils or other evidence been discovered? What were the differences between early man and humans today? Draw a comparative diagram.

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• Write an amazing facts file about five prehistoric mammals, with cartoon-style pictures in a small booklet.

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• Investigate the “meteorite” theory of dinosaur extinction. Draw some “cave paintings” that the dinosaurs left behind to depict this devastating event.

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• Create a “family tree” of how mammals are classified, e.g. write the word “mammal” at the top, then sub-divide into Monotremes, Marsupials and Placental Mammals. How many times can you further subdivide? Can you give a few examples in each category?

• Make up a “true or false” quiz about prehistoric mammals and try it out with your classmates.

• Choose a mammal living today that you think is BEST suited to its environment and explain why.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons USING •out f o rr ev i eanwendangered pur p os e son l ya• • Find some more about mammal in Australia.

Design flyer for a fundraising event to raise money for a sanctuary for this animal.

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• Following further research, make up a table that compares ice-age mammals to mammals of today. Include comparisons such as size, diet, features, enemies, etc.

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• Copy pictures of fossils and bones of prehistoric mammals. Give them to a friend and ask them to draw what they think the mammal looked like. How accurate were they?

• Use pictures of prehistoric mammals to show what parts of it look like under a magnifying glass.

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• Research some information on digging up fossils. Make a chart with cartoon pictures showing “How to find a fossil” for budding palaeontologists.

• Use a world map to draw various prehistoric mammals, showing where evidence of them was found. Write any observations or conclusions about the end result of the map.

• Find out more about the dimensions of prehistoric man—were they taller, shorter? The estimations of height were made by guessing from the length of certain bones that were found. Measure your own forearm and then your height. Make up a simple formula for estimating height from forearm length. Try out your formula on your classmates.

• Choose a modern mammal and write a biologist’s report on why it eats what it eats (what features does it have, what environmental factors contribute?).

• Select one prehistoric mammal and make a flow chart of how our world might be different if that animal was found commonly all over the world.

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A Pouchful of Activities 2 USING (cont.)

• Create a survey that finds out people’s opinions on how dinosaurs became extinct. Will you give them choices or can they give their own ideas? How will you show the results?

• Think about how different mammals move. Which one would you like to be? Why?

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• Conduct a class debate: “Humans deserve to be extinct if we keep destroying our environment”.

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CREATING AND EVALUATING

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• Imagine that the dog keeps on evolving over the next 50 000 years. Draw sequential pictures of how the dog changes to adapt to a futuristic environment. What features change? What stays the same?

• Investigate the diet of a herbivorous mammal. Use what you know to create an exciting menu for the animal. How will you blend the ingredients? Collect the ingredients if you can and make up this tasty treat. Design a packet for marketing your food to a pet store or a zoo.

• Make an Ice Age scene into a jigsaw for younger students.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons • Make a clay sculpture of a prehistoric mammal. Display it “museum-style” with some • f orabout r ev ew pur posesonl y• information thei animal.

• Use recycled items found in the Art/Technology room at school to make environmentally friendly excavating tools. Try them out in the school sandpit by burying some “fossils”.

• Imagine that your whole class is studying the topic of prehistoric mammals. Draw a plan for decorating your classroom for this theme.

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• Imagine that you were stuck in a time warp and ended up in the Ice Age. What would you do? How would you survive? Write a story about your experiences.

• Write a limerick about a prehistoric mammal that you have learned about. Try to incorporate one or two true facts so you combine humour and education!

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• What are future threats that may cause the extinction of human beings? Draw a cartoon strip showing how people are eliminated by something – either natural or man-made.

Draw some designs of inventions that may save us from this threat.

• What if sheep and cows became extinct? Which mammals could replace them? What changes might we need to make to the way we live?

• You find out that all cat and dog owners have to give their dogs up as part of a scheme to restore our native animal population. As a pet owner who loves their animal, how do you feel? What do you do? Write a secret letter to other pet owners about your thoughts.

• Write a conversation between the last two woolly mammoths on Earth.

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Answers Page 7: Mammals for Little Ones • Mammals feed their young by giving them milk from their teats.

• Mammals can control their body temperature by the hypothalamus raising or dropping temperature, e.g. by sweating, hair standing up, shivering, and so on.

• The kinds of teeth that mammals have are incisors that snip and bite; canines that pierce and tear; premolars that shear and slice; molars that crush and grind.

• Mammals have intelligence which allows them to seek food and shelter, avoid predators, and so on.

• Mammals have a body covering which helps to keep them warm.

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Page 9: Make the Connection CYNOGNATHUS is a mammal-like reptile.

220 million years ago Hairy with legs tucked under its body, it A ‘semi-mammal’ was two metres long.

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Page 8: Picturenary Incisors: Teeth that snip and bite food, at the front of the mouth.

Evolution: The process of change and adaptation in animals.

Carnivores: Animals that eat meat (other animals).

Pre-history: The time in history before history could be recorded, e.g. by the written word.

Marsupials: Animals that nurture their newborn in an external pouch.

Fossils: Parts of plants and animals or impressions encased in rock, sediment, ice, and so on.

Canines: Teeth that pierce and tear food – usually prominent in carnivorous animals.

Warm-blooded animals: Animals that can control their own temperature.

Herbivores: Animals that eat only plants.

Hibernate: To sleep in a shelter during winter.

Molars: Flat teeth at the rear of the mouth that crush and grind.

50 million years ago A tree-climber

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190 million years ago A meat eater

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NOTHARCTUS climbed trees and had sharp eyesight. Ancestor of the modern lemur.

TRICONODON was one of the first mammals. Carnivorous, furry and the size of a cat. Young probably fed on milk.

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60 million years ago A glider

PLANTETHERIUM was like a flying squirrel that could glide upside down from trees but could not fly properly.

250 million years ago Mostly reptile

DIMETRODON was about three metres long and had some mammal features but was mostly reptile with scaly skin and a sail on its back to catch the sun.

35 million years ago Ancestor of apes and humans

AEGYPTOPITHECUS was a lightly built, puny ape which lived in the forest.

Survived well because of intelligence.

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Page 10: Fossicking Fossils A fossil is formed in this way: 1. Animal dies in a swamp.

2. Over time, sediment covers the remains. The parts of the animals that don’t rot (usually harder parts like bones and teeth) are trapped in the sediment.

3. In the right circumstances (no scavengers, quick burial, not much weathering), parts of the animal turn into fossils over time.

4. After a long time, the chemicals in the buried animals’ bodies change as the bone slowly decays. Water with minerals seeps into the bone and replaces the chemicals in the bone with rock-like minerals.

5. This process results in a heavy, rock-like copy of the original object - a fossil.

6. The fossil is uncovered by humans who may be excavating, building or just stumbling across it.

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Page 12: A Mammoth Task A palaeontologist is someone who studies the prehistoric times by investigating fossils of plants and animals and other evidence. He or she might be found working in a fossil excavation site, a science lab or a museum.

Page 15: Disappearing Act Animals may have become extinct by dramatic climate changes, enemies, food unavailability, continents shifting, disease, volcanic ash, flood, meteorites, and so on.

Page 17: What’s on the Menu?

A carnivore is an animal that eats meat. A herbivore is an animal that eats plants.

© ReadOther yEd(rodents, Pu bdeer, l i ca t i nroots, sgrass, leaves. mammals cats, Plants -o shoots, pigs, cattle, antelope, etc. Birds, frogs They ruminate and regurgitate partly lizards, fish.) digested •f orr evi e wsnakes, pu r poses ofood. nl y•

Questions

Cats and Tigers

Deer and Goats

What food do they eat?

How do they move?

Very fast and flexible. Chase and pounce on their prey.

Run quickly, moving in packs or groups.

What shape are their feet?

Paws with padded soles and sharp claws.

Two-toed hooves with a rough pad on the bottom.

For moving fast and quietly and tearing prey.

Running quickly on hard surfaces.

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Sharp, pointed teeth - large canines. A flat set of teeth on the lower jaw that meet a rough pad on the top. Flat molars in the back of the mouth.

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What shape are their teeth?

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What do they use their feet for?

How do they protect Run, attack with teeth and claws, hide Running, moving in packs, occasionally themselves from enemies? with camouflaged coat. use horns, teeth and hooves.

What animals might be their enemies?

Elephants, humans.

What helps us to eat meat?

Bears, coyotes, man, lions and tigers, etc.

What helps us to eat plants?

Canines help to tear meat into shreds, incisors help to Incisors to cut into smaller parts and molars to grind cut into the meat and molars help to grind it into into smaller pieces. smaller portions. Also cooking the meat helps to tenderise it.

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Answers Cont.

Page 18: How to be a Hunter • Colouring of TIGERS to hide between plants whilst hunting prey.

• Speed of CHEETAHS to chase prey such as deer, that run quickly.

• Claws of CAT FAMILY to strike and attack prey.

• Pack hunting of WOLVES to attack from all sides and overtake their prey.

• Large incisor teeth of LIONS to cut and tear meat.

• Colouring of POLAR BEARS so that they can hide on snow–covered grounds. Their hair also keeps them warm and stops them from getting wet.

• Strong jaws and molars of HYENAS break open bones so that they can eat bones and marrow.

Man-made Changes Air conditioning, insulation, cool clothes.

Warm clothes, shelter, heaters.

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Our Body Sweat glands, melanin in skin where hot climates are.

Extreme cold Shivering, hair on body, thermal regulation in brain.

The need to communicate Speech functions of mouth and tongue, hands, eyes, ears, body language.

Predators/venomous animals Immune system, intelligence to avoid predators and warn others of danger.

The need to travel long distances Legs for walking and running.

Also able to swim.

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Condition Extreme heat

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Telephones, TV, computers, postal service, emails.

Antivenom developments, hospitalisation in other cases of attack.

Cars, planes, boats, trains, etc.

© ReadyEdPubl i cat i ons The main two parts of the human body that have enables us to create so many changes to our environment are •f o r e i ew pur posesonl y• our brains and ourr hands . v

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Page 19: How to be an Escape Artist • Speed of RABBITS to avoid predators and get to hiding spots.

• Height of GIRAFFES to see predators coming from a long distance. Predators cannot reach heads.

• Antlers of DEER can be used as defence against attackers.

• Long legs of GIRAFFES can be used to increase height and to run faster / further.

• Spines of ECHIDNAS used as a deterrent – sharp to cause pain and hard to get through to eat animal.

• Herd living of DEER protection to move as a group – animals on the inside are safe. Also numbers confuse predators.

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Page 23: Creature Features • An elephant’s trunk: drinking (sucking water to spray into mouth), picking objects and food up, spraying water over body, smelling, breathing, communicating (with trumpeting sounds).

• The several parts of a cow’s stomach: allows them to obtain maximum nutrition out of low-nutrient foods, e.g. grasses.

• A horse’s hoof: Allows travel over rough terrain for long distances.

• The camel’s hump: Allows storage of fat for periods of low food supply. (NOT full of water as many believe, although the fatty lump seems to help in times of low water supply.)

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Page 27: Where Did They Go? Name Oxyaena A carnivore

What did it eat? Changes that occurred Slow herbivorous animals

Why did it What could become extinct? have saved it?

Prey became larger Unable to capture and faster. food source starved to death.

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Baluchitherium A giant plant eater

Leaves from the top Forests disappeared. No food source of trees starvation.

Becoming faster too, or changing diet to slower prey.

Changed diet to smaller plants or ate larger variety.

Increased variety to include other food /prey.

Woolly mammoth and woolly rhino

Ice age came to an end.

Humans wanted skin and meat.

Not growing hair, developed better defences against humans. Adapted to climate by changing temperature and diet.

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The large elephants No food source became extinct. starvation.

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Smilodon Large elephants A sabre-toothed cat

Humans hunted and killed them. They found it hard to adapt to climactic changes.

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In the midst of animals becoming extinct why did human beings continue to thrive and develop? Humans were able to use intelligence and hands to make tools, shelter and clothing. They could therefore hunt and eat more food and cope with harsher climates. Their intelligence helped protect them from enemies Page 30: Our Ancient Land

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Dingo: Is a placental mammal because it gives birth to many live young.

Platypus: Is a monotreme because it lays eggs.

Rabbit: Is a placental mammal because it gives birth to many live young.

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Koala: Echidna: Is a marsupial Is a monotreme because it has a small pouch on because it lays eggs. the outside.

Kangaroo: Is a marsupial because it has a small pouch on the outside.

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Answers Cont.

Page 33: New Paws on Our Shores Animal Rabbit

Introduced By Europeans for hunting.

Horse

Bad Outcomes

Can be kept as pets.

Generally the hunting is not as common now and rabbits are still considered pests.

Eat vegetation that holds land together - leads to erosion. Eat food that can be eaten by grazing cattle.

Also compete with native animals for food.

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Dingoes introduced about 4000 years ago by Asian seafarers. Other domestic dogs introduced by Europeans in the late 1700’s – 1800’s onwards.

Used as a domestic pet and Wild dogs can kill native and also to round up sheep animals and spread disease. and other animals, on farms

Europeans for transport. Also bred for the army then no longer needed after war.

Still used today as a form of transport on farms and even in cities (police). Also widely used as recreation/sport.

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Dog

Good Outcomes

Eat vegetation that holds land together - leads to erosion. Hard hooves attack the soil.

Merino sheep introduced by Used widely for lamb and Over-grazing can cause ©Europeans Rea d y E d P u b l i c a t i on s soon after for wool on sheep farms. damage to fauna. settlement for farming •f opurposes. rr e vi e ur posesonl y• Adapted tow p

Sheep

Australian climate.

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Dutch ships in the 17th century that kept cats on board to control vermin.

Also first settlers.

Can control rodents around farms. Used mainly as domestic pets.

Can become feral and kill native wildlife.

The first fleet.

Used widely for beef and dairy on farms.

Hard hooves attack the soil.

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Europeans for hunting.

Generally considered a pest Attacks farm animals as well in large numbers and near as native animals. Can carry farming areas. rabies.

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