Directions
Break into groups of 3. Each group will be given a packet of animals, notes, and a write
up sheet. There are 5 animals for every group.
Sorting the organisms:
Observations
These organisms can be broken into three groups called trophic levels by the number or
letter found on the underside of each one, 2 plants (p), 2 herbivores (1), and 1 carnivore
(2). Some of the organisms have similar structures. Sort the organisms by a structure
your group chooses. Write in the “structures” section of your write up what these
structures look like and describe their function.
Notes
Read through the astrobiologist’s notes. In them you will find some of the behaviors that
she observed the organisms doing when she caught them and information about their
environment. These notes are useful because they will help you to discover what these
animals do when factors in the environment changes, when it gets too hot or cold, for
example. Write what you think the behaviors are for in the “behaviors” section of your
write up; tell me why the animal does what it does.
Something to think about:
Animals and plants in the real world follow the same rules found in Wallace World’s
animals and plants. They all have structures and behaviors that they use to survive in a
constantly changing environment and to maintain internal needs. For example moles use
their claws to dig in order to find the food they need to stay alive.