Explore: Animal Senses
Introduction
For this activity, you need to find reliable Internet or library sources about how an animal responds to stimuli. You can choose any animal to research. You will need to gather information about its senses, sense receptors, brain and nervous system, and behaviors.
For this topic, you might find reliable information at zoos, aquariums, or natural history museums. Scientists who study animals in the wild often work at these places. Also, science magazines often have articles about recent discoveries. For each source you use, think about these questions:
Does the source seem credible?
Does the source have accurate information?
Does the source have a possible bias?
In Part 1, you will look for websites with information you can use. The questions in Part 2 will help you take notes. In Part 3, you will make an infographic to share what you learned. An infographic is a visual way to display information. It includes images and short chunks of text. The text should point out interesting facts and explain important concepts.
Part 1: Identifying Sources (5 points)
1. List at least five terms from the introduction that you can use as key words in your search. (2 points)



2. Identify three websites you will use to start your research. If you use other websites to complete the research questions in Part 2, add them to this list. Cross out any websites that don't end up helping you complete the activity. (3 points)










Part 2: Research (20 points)
Use the websites you listed in Part 1 to answer the following questions. Remember to add any new sources you use to your list.
1. What animal did you choose? Why are you interested in learning more about its senses and the way it responds to stimuli? (2 points)





2. What senses (sight, hearing, etc.) does the animal have? (2 points)



3. What sense receptors does the animal have? What do they sense, and where are they located? (3 points)








4. How does the animal's nervous system process inputs from the sense receptors? Does it have a brain? If not, how is it able to respond to stimuli? (Note: Nerve cells are often called neurons.) (3 points)










5. Can the animal store memories? How do scientists know whether it has a memory? Give at least one example. (3 points)










6. Describe one interesting behavior the animal has in response to a stimulus. Explain how the stimulus causes the response. (2 points)





7. Review your list of sources, including ones that you crossed out and didn't use. Are they all credible, meaning they are trustworthy and you can believe the information they present? Was the information they contained accurate? How do you know? Did they include evidence to support their arguments? Did the authors have possible bias? Choose two sources and explain whether they are credible, accurate, supported by evidence, and possibly biased. Explain why you did or did not use these sources. (5 points)




















Part 3: Infographic (10 points)
Create an infographic to describe how the animal you chose senses and processes information. The infographic should include:
a picture of the animal, including its sense receptors (2 points)
descriptions of what the sense receptors do (3 points)
how the animal processes inputs from the sense receptors, causing a behavior and/or memory (3 points)
any interesting facts you want to share (2 points)
Submit this worksheet and your completed infographic to your teacher.