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What kinds of animals might there be in the future?

What kinds of animals might there be in the future?

Lesson narration:
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Discuss: Suppose you want to get bluer iguanas. Which iguana should you pick to have babies with your iguana? Iguana

Reveal answer

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Discuss: Now that you know how the first small dog breed was created, how do you think we created big dogs, like the Great Dane? GreatDane

Reveal answer

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Discuss: How do you think life was different for people before they discovered selection and created all these different breeds of animals (dairy cows, muscular cows, chickens that lay big eggs)?

Reveal answer

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Discuss: What’s an animal or trait you might like to see in the future? If you want to know what we'd like to see, click "Reveal Answer" below.

Reveal answer

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Designer Dogs Question #1 of 4:

cockerspaniel-poodlequestion

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Designer Dogs Question #2 of 4:

pug-beaglequestion

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Designer Dogs Question #3 of 4:

germanshepherd-lab-question

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Designer Dogs Question #4 of 4:

schnauzer-Pom-question

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Designer Dogs Answer #1 of 4:

cockerspaniel-poodleanswer

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Designer Dogs Answer #2 of 4:

pug-beagleanswer

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Designer Dogs Answer #3 of 4:

germanshepherd-lab-answer

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Designer Dogs Answer #4 of 4:
schnauzer-Pom-answer

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Anchor Connection In the past lesson, you learned that animals can have different characteristics even if they are the same kind of animal. Discuss. How are these iguanas different from each other? And how are these dogs different from each other? Look for as many differences as you can.
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These ants are actually the same kind of ant. They are also all adult ants. None of these are baby ants. Discuss. What differences do you notice? Why do you think they look so different?
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One ant is much larger and it has wings. The other ants are much smaller and don’t have wings. Even though all of these ants are the same kind of ant, you can see many differences between them.
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But all of these ants don’t just look different. They also do very different things. You might already know that the ant with wings is a queen ant, and that she has a special job. Discuss. What do you think the large ant does that makes her special?
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Within an ant colony, different ants have different jobs. Some (but not all) of the jobs of each kind of ant are shown below. Discuss. How do you think it helps ants survive if they have different jobs?
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The worker ants don’t have to worry about laying eggs, so they can focus on taking care of all of the ants in the nest, including the queen. The queen doesn’t need to worry about finding food, so she can focus on laying eggs.
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By focusing on different jobs and working together, the ants help each other survive. People do this, too!
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Step
01/03
Get your Amazing Ants worksheet.
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Step
02/03
Many ants have different jobs. This helps them survive in many different places. As a class, discuss different ways that you can update your notes with this information. Then, update your notes.
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Step
03/03
Save your Amazing Ants worksheet. You will update it after the next lesson in this unit.
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Look at the "Wonder" column of your class See-Think-Wonder chart. Have any questions been answered by this lesson?
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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & Exploration which you just completed.
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trait


1 of 7

something you can observe about a living thing, such as the pointy ears of a dog
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generation


2 of 7

all the living things born and living at around the same time
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variation


3 of 7

the different versions of a trait, such as the size of a dog
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artificial selection


4 of 7

the process of humans choosing certain traits of living things so that they are passed to the offspring
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inherited trait


5 of 7

a trait of a living thing that comes from its parents
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species


6 of 7

one specific kind of living thing that has similar characteristics and can produce offspring with one another
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extinct


7 of 7

a type of living thing that once lived on Earth but no longer exists
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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
cat by Joseph Morris , used under CC BY-ND
dog by Katherine , used under CC BY
goat by ceridwen , used under CC BY-SA
sheep by Donald Macleod
T-Rex in museum by Jeff Kubina , used under CC BY-SA
wild cat by Chris Fourie
domestic fox by Raffaele Esposito
holding fox by Jorbasa Fotografie , used under CC BY-ND
mammoth by WolfmanSF , used under CC BY-SA
yawning fox by Peter Trimming , used under CC BY
hippo-fish by Takeshi Kitano's
long haired cat by Tambako The Jaguar , used under CC BY-ND
rooster by David Goehring , used under CC BY
dogs of the world by Poster Revolution
Black Lab by Jared and Corin , used under CC BY-SA
Blood Hound by Sally Wehner , used under CC BY
Bull Dog by sabianmaggy , used under CC BY
Chihuahua by Kevin , used under CC BY
Pitbull by Hugo A. Quintero G. , used under CC BY
small white dog by tiarescott , used under CC BY
rooster skeleton by Chickenosaurus 12
bird-like skeleton by Ted & Tira
cows by barn by William Garrett , used under CC BY
chickenosaurous by guest_5655
cow close up by Positive
bears by Tambako The Jaguar , used under CC BY-ND
black bull by Jaap Rouwenhorst , used under CC BY-SA
giraffe up close by Tambako The Jaguar , used under CC BY-ND
teddy bear by thepeachpeddler , used under CC BY-SA
bright green lizard by Chad Sparkes , used under CC BY
udders by stux
dairy cow by Keith Weller/USDA
oxen pulling cart by John P. Mosesso
iguana by Pete Markham , used under CC BY-SA
ox up close by TrollGod14337
iguana up close by Cyborg , used under CC BY
wild boar by Pete Shacky
cat by Magnus Bråth , used under CC BY
chicken and eggs by Dew Tyme Family Farm
horse by Paul VanDerWerf , used under CC BY
pig by Brent Moore , used under CC BY
Basset Hound by patchattack , used under CC BY-SA
Bichon Frise by Jeffrey Beall , used under CC BY-SA
Chow Chow by Prayitno , used under CC BY
German Sheperd by Marilyn Peddle , used under CC BY
Greyhound by Marianne Perdomo , used under CC BY-SA
Siberian Husky by S.McWilliam
Cocker Spaniel by Norman Mackenzie
Dachshund by Hugo Daniel
Labrador by Kevin Rodriguez Ortiz , used under CC BY
Rottweiler by El Coleccionista de Instantes , used under CC BY-SA
horses running by hlseffigy , used under CC BY-ND
poodle by chuck_heston , used under CC BY-SA
Chinese Emperor by Royal Academy of Arts
Pekingese by CH PalaceGarden Malachy
small dog by Helmuts R , used under CC BY-SA
Great Dane by Jon Hurd
Lesson narration:

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students learn how people create new breeds of animals by mating (selecting) individuals with desirable traits. In the visual activity, Designer Dogs, students are shown pairs of adult dogs and three potential puppies. They study the physical traits of the dogs and look for the puppy that shares these traits.

Preview activity

Extend this lesson