Special Assignment:
Solving T. rex's Identity Crisis
Purpose:
Use the cladogram and data on inherited features to make hypotheses about what
T. rex was like.
Materials needed:
Instructions:
Examine the questions below. For at least two of the questions:
- Decide if it is possible to answer the question with the data provided (the
cladogram and data tables).
- If it is not possible, what information is needed to be able to answer the
question?
- If it is possible, what kind of hypothesis would you make? What is the
evidence for your statement? In your justification, make sure that you include
information about common ancestors and shared inherited features. What other
evidence would you look for that would support or refute your hypothesis?
What other kinds of questions might be answered using the cladogram and
data tables?
Questions:
- Did T. rex have an amniotic egg?
- Was T. rex warm-blooded or cold-blooded?
- Could T. rex have had feathers?
- Did T. rex have color vision?
- How many chambers were there in T. rex's heart?
- Did T. rex sing to its offspring?
Your teacher will provide you with the Cladogram and Additional Data. Following
any further directions from your teacher, you will be ready to complete this
Special Assignment.