Classification of Living Things

     

            Indian mongoose

         Herpestes javanicus 

In addition to working on their plant experiments last month, students studied the classification of living things. They learned how to use the taxonomic ranking system through a classification activity designed around the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology's Animal Diversity Web, a phenomenally rich website devoted to providing an "online database of animal natural history, distribution, classification, and conservation biology". Many students wanted to continue exploring these topics at home; click on the link if you're interested in doing so!

For the activity, students were asked to use to website to list the taxonomic ranks,  first for four assigned and closely related animals (Indian Mongoose, striped-necked mongoose, meerkat and pygmy spotted skunk), then for four closely related animals of their own choosing. The requirements for the second four were that two be of the same genus, three be of the same family, and all four be in the same order.  The students tackled this task with enthusiasm, and this was reflected in the high quality of their work!  The assignment not only exposed them to the construction of classification systems, but also provided an understanding of how the shared evolutionary history of different species can be examined through their classification.