Evolution of body covering and locomotor organs
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Write three flight-related features of the bird skeleton.
A keel, light hollow bones and forelimbs turned into wings.
2
Write three functions of mammalian skin.
Protection, thermoregulation and sensation (also feeding young with milk).
3
Both a giraffe and a mouse have 7 neck vertebrae. What does this show, and what makes the giraffe’s neck long?
It shows that mammals share a common ancestor (a common skeletal plan); the giraffe’s neck is long not because of more vertebrae but because each vertebra is very long.
4
Compare fish and frog skin (two differences).
Fish have scales, frogs do not; frog skin takes part in breathing.
5
Why do insects moult?
The chitin covering does not stretch, so the old one is shed for growth.