Extinction

2009-01-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected. ~Chief Seattle

A species becomes extinct when the last, living organism of that species dies. Extinction can occur as part of the natural order of life through evolution and change in the ecological conditions. Extinction occurs when a species loses out to competitors better adapted to the environment or ecosystem and is unable to move to a new environment or when a species is unable to survive or reproduce in its environment and dies off. Humans have caused extinction of species by overharvesting, by polluting the environment, by destroying and modifying habitats, by introducing new predators into the ecosystem, by introducing nonnative organisms that compete for food, by unregulated hunting, and by the spread of disease. There have been several mass extinctions throughout Earth’s history, the most famous of which was the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago.

Extinct Species Research Project

2009-01-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

You will conduct a research project on an extinct species of your choice. You will follow the project guidelines provided by your teacher. First, select an extinct species. Several of the websites listed under "Extinct Animals" will provide you with a list to begin your search. As you search for your topic remember you will be required to include the following information in the first part of your report:
A) A thorough description of your animal (or plant) including what it looked like, how big it was, what colorings it had, etc.

B) Which era of earth's history this organism lived (both in number of years ago AND name the actual era).

C) Food your organism ate and how it got this food supply?

D) What adaptations your organism had to protect itself (camouflage, behavior, looks, etc.)

E) What enemies or predators it had

F) Include at least one picture in this section

Use our school databases to retrieve basic information on your topic, and then use the websites that follow to provide additional information. You will also use print materials which include encyclopedias, reference books and other non-fiction books. Remember to record your sources using Modern Language Association format for your bibliography.

Weblinks

Dinosaurs
UC, Berkeley: Dino Buzz http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinobuzz.html
USGS.gov: Dinosaur Facts and Fiction http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dinosaurs/
BBC Science and Nature: Prehistoric Life http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/
Natural History Museum: Dino Discovery http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/nature-online/dino-directory/
Discovery Channel: Dinosaur Guide http://dsc.discovery.com/dinosaurs/
Zoom Dinosaurs: Dinosaur Dictionary http://www.zoomdinosaurs.com/subjects/dinosaurs/
UC, Berkeley: Dinosauria.com http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinosaur.html
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History: Dinosaurs http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/
American Museum of Natural History: Extinction http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/dinosaurs/gallery/extinction.php?image=16&p=index&a=eocene#cap
California Academy of Natural Sciences: Dinosaurs http://www.calacademy.org/exhibits/dinos/library.php

Extinct Animals
American Museum of Natural History: Humans and Other Catastrophes http://www.amnh.org/science/biodiversity/extinction/
Extinct Animal.com http://extinctanimal.com/default.htm
Recently Extinct Animals: http://extinctanimals.petermaas.nl/
50Birds.com: Gallery List of Extinct Animals http://www.50birds.com/extan/gextanimals1.htm U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services: Extinct Species http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/lists/extinct.html

For part two of your research project, you will research the modern-day descendants (relatives) of your animal. Please include the following information in this section of your report:

What are the modern-day descendants (relatives) of your animal?
How has it changed over the years? Compare how it used to be and how it used to live to the way its modern-day relatives are today and how its modern-day descendants live today.
Include at least one picture in this section.

Use our Grzimek's Animal Encyclopedias to find information for this section of your report as well as our on-line databases. The following weblinks may also provide you with useful information:

Animal Diversity Web http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html

Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Zoology http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/science_and_technology/Zoology_Science.htm

National Geographic Animals http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/

Extinct Species Project

Extinction

Extinct Species Research Project