Skeleton Sleuths

The mystery of the bones!

Do Now
Show where on these skeletons you
believe the following are
Hip Joint
Knee
Ankle
Toes

Human Leg

Cat Leg

Introduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OCMx2VuP1U&feature=youtu.be&t=1m4
9s

Welcome to the Mystery of the Bones!!!

Solve the mystery!

You are an archaeologist and
have uncovered the bones of
part of an unknown creature.
Your challenge is to figure out
what this animal was!
You will compare these bones
with other animals to help you
figure this out. You must use the
hints in order!

This is what you have discovered!

Hint: Compare to other types of

animals.
Your discovery!

Here are the bones of your discovery, and five examples of bones of other animal
arms. Circle the THREE that you think are most similar to your mystery animal.
In ONE SENTENCE, describe why you think they are similar.

Hint: What is similar about

them?
Your discovery!

Did you choose these three? What do these three animals have in common?
Describe in ONE SENTENCE.

Hint: What animals are these?

A

Mole arm __

D
E

Bird wing __
Frog arm __
Human arm __
Bat wing __
Whale flipper __
Butterfly wing __
Squid tentacle __
Shark flipper __

MATCH each skeleton to the animal you think it belongs to!

Write the letter next to the animal
Do you think the class or more can make the right matches?

How did the class do?

H
u
m
a
n

Mole

Bird

Bat

Did or more of the class make the matches?

Shark

Hint: What is similar about

them?
Your discovery!

Humerus
(upper arm)

Radius & Ulna

(lower arm)
Carpus (wrist)
Metacarpus (palm)
Phalanges (fingers)

Find FIVE bones that are similar across all the animals. Color code, using
FIVE different colors.

What was your creature?

Your discovery!
Human arm
Dog front leg
Whale flipper
Flying squirrel arm
Bobcat front leg
Goat front leg
Beaver front leg

Circle the animal/body part that you think you uncovered!

Meet your creature!

Your discovery!

Why would a whale flipper be more

similar to a human arm, a bats wing,
and
cats
leg than a sharks
Choose a
ONE
or TWO offront
these explanations:
1. Mammals--humans, bats, cats--were made to be similar. This is because of
fin?
intelligent design by a Creator. Their bones look similar because they were made
to be similar.
2. Animals decide for themselves which group they belong to. The whale chose to
be in the mammal group, not the shark group, even though it swims. It chose to
have bones like mammals. Then it shared these with its children.
3. Whales were, 49 million years ago, a deer-like mammal living on land. Because
there were predators on land, and there was more food in the water, this mammal
evolved--over the course of 5 million years--to swim with a tail and flippers. This is
an example of how mammals have a common ancestor.

Exit Ticket
In light of the conclusions you
reached, what might two reasons be
for why the cat leg is similar to
humans? What might one reason be
for why it is different?

Human Leg

Cat Leg