Name__________________________________________Class_____Date___________________________
MYSTERY ORGANISMS
Directions: Using only your own Domains and Kingdoms booklet,
figure out which classification groups the following organisms would belong to.
Use the charts to show the characteristics the organisms have (circle)
and then write the names of the classification groups they belong to on the lines.
1. A student was walking through the woods and discovered an unknown organism. The organism was large and
brown and growing on a decaying tree stump on the forest floor. When the student looked at the cells of the
organism through a microscope, he saw cell walls around the outside of the cells and large nuclei inside each cell.
He did not see any chloroplasts, which are the parts of cells used in making food.
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________ KINGDOM: ____________________
2. A scientist was examining a water sample. The water looked clear, but upon further investigation using a very
powerful microscope, she observed tiny unicellular organisms. The organisms did not have nuclei in their cells. A
chemical analysis showed that there was a high level of acid in the water, which is common in hot springs.
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________
3. A 7A student was looking through a microscope in science class at a pond water sample. She noticed several
small organisms swimming around and zoomed in on one for a closer look. Even though it was microscopic, the
organism had many cells that made up its body. She could see through the tiny creature and observed its digestive
and circulatory systems working. It was swimming around very fast eating other organisms nearby.
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________ KINGDOM: ____________________
4. Another 7A student was also looking at a pond water sample. He saw the organisms that the 1 st student was
looking at, but he was more interested in what those organisms were eating. He saw even tinier creatures that
appeared to only be made up of one cell. He could clearly see the nucleus of their cells along with green pigment
that Mrs. Ventresca told him was used for capturing sunlight to make food.
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________ KINGDOM: ____________________
5. A scientist was studying a sample in a lab. The sample was sent from a doctor’s office to be tested to see if the
patient had strep throat. The scientist observed tiny, spherical, one-celled organisms in clusters. No nuclei could
be seen at all.
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________
6. A student noticed something growing out of a crack in the sidewalk on his way home. He had never seen this
type of organism before and stopped for a closer look. It was three inches tall and mostly green. He remembered
learning about the pigment chlorophyll in science and how it was able to capture the energy of sunlight to enable
the organism to make its own food.
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________ KINGDOM: ____________________
7. Found in human intestines:
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
8. Found growing on leaves and using them for nutrients:
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________ KINGDOM: ____________________
9. Found in a lake, swimming around and eating other organisms:
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________ KINGDOM: ____________________
10. Notice the chloroplasts in this one-celled organism, which capture sunlight for making food:
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________ KINGDOM: ____________________
11. Microscopic image of a small portion of an organism:
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
Close up, its cells all look like this:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________ KINGDOM: ____________________
12. Found in stomach contents of cows:
Close up of interior (picture shows one whole organism):
number of cells:
type of cells:
ability to make food:
other info:
unicellular
prokaryote
autotroph
DOMAIN: ____________________
multicellular
eukaryote
heterotroph