1. Concept-based Instruction Adaptive Anatomy Adaptive - the ability to adjust to conditions or environment. Anatomy - the scientific study of the shape and structure of organisms and their parts. Copyright 2011 New Dimension Media

2. Essential Understandings: Survival includes an uncanny ability of living things to adapt or change. There are scientific explanations to how the anatomy of living things creates the change or adaptation. Essential Questions: How do adaptive characteristics help animals and insects survive and reproduce in an ecosystem? How does the anatomy of these living things work that explains their extraordinary characteristics? Copyright 2011 New Dimension Media

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4. The 90-gram lizard starts its run by slapping the water’s surface vertically with its hind foot (1). As the foot is pushed down, the edge of the foot fans out, expanding its surface area. The body does not sink, because, as the animal strokes its expanded foot downward, it creates an air cavity underwater (2), which the water resists by pushing back up on the air and thus the lizard’s foot. The lizard further minimizes the force of gravity by pulling its foot upward before the air cavity collapses. It does this by pulling its toes together so that the entire foot is surrounded only by air (3). The lizard then swiftly pulls its foot out of the cavity before it can get wet. Remarkably, the lizard takes 20 steps a second! 2. air cavity 3. surrounded entirely by air 1. slapping water with its hind foot Let's Study How the Lizard's Anatomy Works that Allows This Lizard to Run on Water Copyright 2011 New Dimension Media

5. Essential Question: How do the adaptive characteristics of the Basilisk lizard help it survive in the ecosystem? Copyright 2011 New Dimension Media Answer These Questions Use the Next Page to Record Your Answers Essential Question: How does the anatomy of the Basilisk lizard work so that it can run on water?

6. Essential Question: How do the adaptive characteristics of the Basilisk lizard help it survive in the ecosystem? Essential Question: How does the anatomy of the Basilisk lizard work so that it can run on water? Name: _________________________

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