Animal adaptations: explain the feature without inventing an intention

Saying an animal chose to grow a useful feature can turn an explanation into a misleading story. Read a suitable species account and distinguish the documented structure from the source's explanation of its function.

Use the source's account rather than saying an animal chose to grow a feature.

Use the source's account of the relationship

Distinguish an observed structure from an explanation of its function. Retain the source's qualifications when describing the relationship.

Identify a described feature. Read its documented function. Draw an annotated example.

Avoid implying intentional evolutionary change.

Which statement is supported? Provide labelled diagrams.

Resources

• Draw a Mini Creature Habitat – Open-Ended Drawing Worksheet — Develop a clearly imaginary habitat and annotate its proposed features.

Further reading

• Australian Museum — insects in our gardens

Read next

• A wildlife observation code people can follow
• Notice litter patterns without handling the rubbish
• A food-web diagram leaves most of the habitat out

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