C.O.P.P.A The information you provide below will be used for internal purposes only. Glencoe/McGraw-Hill does not share information about you with organizations outside the family of The McGraw-Hill Companies. Before you supply any personal information below, please read our complete Privacy Policy. Click the Techie Toolbox for tips and help to make the most of your time on the Web. Unit 2: Ecology Chapter 5: Biological Diversity and Conservation   Researching Information on Exotic Pets What would it be like to own a pet like a snake or a ferret? Sound glamorous? Maybe it's a lot of hard work for the owner and maybe it's not so fair to the pet. Use the Internet as a research tool to locate information on exotic pets. Consider any animal as exotic if it is not commonly domesticated and is not native to North America. Problem How can you use the Internet to gather information on keeping an exotic animal as a pet? Objectives In this BioLab, you will: Select one animal that is considered an exotic pet. Use the Internet to collect and compare information from other students. Conclude if the animal you have chosen would or would not make a good pet. Materials Access to the Internet Data Sources Activity Links View Student Data 1. Print the data table and use it as a guide for the information to be researched. 2. Pick and exotic pet from the following list of choices: hedgehog, snake, ferret, large cat such as tiger or panther, monkey, ape, iguana, tropical bird. 3. Go to Data Sources under Preparation to find links that will provide you with information for this BioLab. Note: You are not limited to the pet suggestions provided. If a different organism appeals to you, research it instead. 4. Record your findings in the data table. Category  Response Exotic pet choice Scientific name Natural habitat Adult size Dietary needs Special health problems Source of medical care, if needed Safety issues for humans Size of cage area needed Special environmental needs Social needs Cost of purchase Cost of maintaining (monthly estimate) Care issues (high/ low maintenance) Additional information Additional sources *City *State Select Your State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Not Applicable *School *Required field 1. Defining Operationally What is meant by the term domesticated? 2. Using the Internet Look at the findings posted by other students. Which of the animals researched would make the best pet? Which would not be a wise choice? 3. Interpreting Data What do you consider the most important information gained from your research that: a. support keeping your exotic pet choice? b. does not support keeping your exotic pet choice?   4. Thinking Critically What positive contribution might be made to the cause of conservation when keeping an exotic pet? Explain. 5. Thinking Critically How can keeping exotic pets be a negative influence on conservation biology efforts? 6. Analyzing Information What are some reasons why zoos rather than individuals are better able to handle exotic animals?