Taxonomy Practice Questions - ​Key
A. Dinosaur Identification:​ Use the dichotomous key below to label
the three dinosaurs.
1a.​ Walks on four legs…
1b.​ Walks on two legs...
… go to 2
… go to 3
2a.​ Has spines along its tail...
2b.​ Does not have spines...
… ​Brontosaurus parvus
… ​Brachiosaurus altithorax
3a.​ Has a sail on its back...
3b.​ Smooth, muscular back...
… ​Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
… go to 4
4a.​ Has a large lump on forehead… … ​Oviraptor philoceratops
4b.​ Head is long and beak-like….
… go to 5
5a.​ Has a short, stubby tail…
5b.​ Has a long tail...
… ​Ankylorini moreous
… ​Troodon formosus
​Brontosaurus parvus
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
B. Organism Identification:​ Scientists are studying several new species. In each of the squares
below, some of the known characteristics of each species are listed. These lists are not
all-inclusive. Based on the traits, identify which kingdom(s) each species most likely belongs to. If
not enough information to identify the kingdom, write CBD (cannot be determined).
Species #1
● Cell walls of
peptidoglycan
● Phototrophic
Kingdom(:​
​Bacteria
Species #4
● Phototrophic
● Non-motile
● Has a large central
vacuole
Kingdom:​
​Plant
Species #2
● Has mitochondria
● Heterotrophic
● Multicellular
Species #3
● Has small vacuoles
● Has cell walls of chitin
● Multicellular
Kingdom:​
​ BD ​(could be animal
C
or fungus)
Kingdom:​
Species #5
Species #6
● Has cell walls composed
of unusual lipids
● Chemotrophic
● Lacks a golgi apparatus
Kingdom: ​Archaea
​Fungus
● Heterotrophic
● Has a nucleus
● Unicellular
​ BD​ (could be fungus
C
or fungus)
Kingdom:​
BIO BOUQUET 2019
C. Mammal Comparison:​ Use the table below to answer questions 1 through 6.
Blue Whale
Alpine Ibex
Domain
Eukarya
Eukarya
Kingdom
Animalia
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Mammalia
Order
Artiodactyla
Artiodactyla
Family
Cetacea
Bovidae
Genus
Balaenopteridae
Capra
musculus
ibex
Species
1. What is the first taxa that the blue whale and the alpine
ibex have different from each other?
The first taxa different is their families.
2. What is the binomial name (AKA, scientific name) for the
alpine ibex?
The scientific name for the alpine ibex is ​Capra ibex​.
3. Humans are in the order Primates. Who is more related to the alpine ibex - us or the blue whale?
Explain your answer..
The blue whale is more closely related to the alpine ibex than humans are. Whales and ibexes are
from the same order, Artiodactyla, which means they share more ancestry than they do to humans,
which are from the Primates order.
4. “Musculus” is also a genus name for a group of mollusks. Based on name alone, can it be
concluded that ​Balaenopteridae musculus​ and the genus of ​Musculus​ are closely related? Explain.
No, we cannot conclude that. One is a genus name while the other is a species name. The fact
that the same latin-ish word used is the same is simply happenstance and bears no weight on
evolutionary relationships.
5. The family Cetacea is described as “carnivorous, finned, and lives mostly in the sea.” This
description applies to sharks as well as whales. However, sharks are not considered to be apart of
the Cetacea family. Provide a reasonable explanation as to why.
Convergent evolution can result in different animals with similar life strategies, such as sharks and
whales. However, that does not mean that they share an ancestor with the same attributes. Sharks
are not mammals and are not closely related, evolutionarily, to whales.
6. Whales, ibex, humans, and sharks all have quite a lot of differences. However, they also have a lot
in common. Name at least 10 things that these creatures have in common.
Animal kingdom, have a nucleus, ribosomes, have a cardio system, immune system, nervous
system, are heterotrophic, are multicellular, have two distinct sexes, have eyes, tongue, nose, etc.
BIO BOUQUET 2019