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 Chapter 17 : Structure and Movement

Similar Skeletons Humans and other mammals share many similar characteristics, including similar skeletal structures. Think about all the different types of mammals you have seen or read about. Tigers, dogs, and household cats are meat-eating mammals. Whales and dolphins live in water. Primates, which include gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans, walk on two legs. Mammals live in different environments, eat different types of food, and even look different, but they all have hair, possess the ability to maintain fairly constant body temperatures, and have similar skeletal structures.

Which skeletal structures are similar among humans and other mammals? How many bones do you have in your hand? What types of bones are they? Do other mammals have similar skeletal structures?

Make a hypothesis about the skeletal structures that humans and other have in common.

Goals Identify a skeletal structure in the human body. Write a list of mammals with which you are familiar. Compare the identified human skeletal structure to a skeletal structure in each of the mammals. Determine if the mammal skeletal structure that you selected is similar to the human skeletal structure you identified. Describe how the mammal skeletal structure is similar to or different from the skeletal structure in a human.   Data Sources Weblinks View Student Data

Plan Choose a specific part of the human skeletal structure to study, such as your hand, foot, skull, leg, or arm. Use four to six different mammals. Do these mammals possess skeletal structures similar to the human skeleton? Remember, the mammals' skeletons can be similar to that of the human, but the structures can have different functions. Compare and Contrast the mammal and human skeletal structures. Are the types of bone similar? Is the number of bones the same? Where are these structures located?   Do Make sure your teacher approves your plan before you proceed.

Is each mammal's skeletal structure similar to or different from the human skeletal structure you chose? In the data table provided on the Web site, describe how the structures are alike or different.   Do other students agree with your conclusions? Do the structures studied have similar function in the human and the mammals you researched?

Results

Skeletal Comparisons Human Structure Animal Structure Comparison Human Structure Animal Structure Comparison Human Structure Animal Structure Comparison * 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