Assignment 7 Animal Diversity
Due October 4
1. Essay (4 points)
Write brief answers to the following questions about the mimic octopus:
a) What organisms does the octopus mimic?
b) Based on the paper, as well as your own ideas, how do you think that mimicking
these particular organisms protects the octopus from predators?
2. Fill-in-the-blank (7 points)
View the videos of invertebrate animals, and identify the phylum to which each animal
belongs. Use the key to invertebrates to assist you. Then fill in the blanks with one of
the following phylum names (use correct spelling or WebAssign will mark your answer
as incorrect).
Animal 1 ____________________
Cnidaria
Animal 2____________________
Annelida
Animal 3____________________
Nematoda
Animal 4____________________
Platyhelminthes
Animal 5____________________
Arthropoda
Animal 6____________________
Mollusca
Animal 7____________________
Echinodermata
Note: Some phyla may be used more than once or not at all.
3. Essay (2 points)
Ichthyostega appears to represent a transitional form between the lobe-finned fish and
the first amphibians. Based on this life-like image, indicate two features of Ichthyostega
that suggest that it spent most of its time in the water.
4. File upload (9 points)
Summarize what you have learned about the four groups of terrestrial vertebrates by
filling out this table of characteristics for each animal group. Also, give a common
example of each group. (Since reptilian lines differ in some characteristics, use the
alligator as your example of a reptile.)
Capture an image of the completed table and submit it to WebAssign in jpg or png
format
Table 1. Features of land vertebrates
Amphibia
Common example
Reptilia
Aves
Mammalia
alligator
Features
Type of limb
attachment (lateral
or vertical)
Type of fertilization
(internal or
external)
Type of
reproduction (eggs
or live birth)
Type of embryo
(amnion present or
absent)
Skull type (anapsid,
diapsid, or
synapsid)
Hollow bones (yes
or no)
Temperature
regulation
(ectothermic or
endothermic)
Body covering
(Scales, feathers,
hair, or none)
Nitrogen excretion
(ammonia, urea or
uric acid)
5. File upload (6 points)
Study the Archaeopteryx video and the skeleton images. Then decide whether each
Archaeopteryx character in the table below is more like a dinosaur or a modern bird.
Indicate your choice by placing X in the appropriate box. Capture an image of the
completed table and submit it to WebAssign in jpg or png format.
Table 2. Features of the Archaeopteryx, dinosaur and bird skeleton
Archaeopteryx
Heavy skull
Bird
Dinosaur
Teeth
Body covering of
feathers
Separate fingers
Fused clavicle or
wishbone
Furcula shape
S-shaped neck
Shoulder blade shape
Sternum shape and
without large keel
Pubis directed downward.
Ischium shape
Stiffened tail
Relative long length of
forearm *
* To determine relative length of the forearm, compare the length of these structures on
the skeleton of interest to that of another body part such as the length of the feet.