A4.

02S

Student

Activity 4.2

What is it?

Purpose
To introduce some of the biological ideas covered later in the topic.
To develop observation and interpretation skills.
To highlight the need for detailed information about a species if it is to be conserved.
Identifying organisms
Biologists in the field have to use their observation and interpretation skills to make
deductions about the organisms they discover. This lets them build up an accurate picture of
their lives, how they interact with their surroundings and what threats they may face now or in
the future. This observation and interpretation is as important to biologists today as it was for
Darwin. In this exercise your task is to make some deductions about the animal in the field
sketch provided.
Questions
Study the field sketch and try to answer the following questions, giving a reason for each of
your answers. Do not worry if you get the answers wrong, but try to make an intelligent
attempt.
Q1 a What animals do you think it is most closely related to?
b Can you suggest anything about what it eats, or how it gets its food?
c What sort of habitat do you think it occupies?
d Is it likely to be active at night or during the day?
Q2 You have less information than most taxonomists would have about a new organism.
Normally they would have an actual specimen (usually dead). If they are lucky they have a
chance to observe it alive as well. What information could you get from a dead specimen that you
could not get from a live one and vice versa?
Q3 Would a (living) captive specimen give you more or less information than a free-living one?
Explain your answer.
Q4 If biologists do not recognise this animal they would use a key to help them identify it. A key lets
you name the animal, which is vital if you are going to find out more information about it. It is an ayeaye; this is its common name, its scientific name is Daubentonia madagascariensis. Aye-ayes are
found on only one island; suggest where this might be (the Latin name provides a big clue, if you
cannot spot where use the weblinks
that accompany this activity to find
Large mobile ears
their location).
Coarse black hair with
Q5 The first part of the scientific
white tips and a soft
name is shared by the aye-ayes
white undercoat.
closest relatives. Do some research
and find out how many other species
Large, ever-growing
share the name Daubentonia.
Specialised middle
chisel-like incisors.
finger long and
Q6 If you look it up on the World
needle-like
Conservation Union (IUCN) Red Data
List you will find that it is classified as
endangered. Find out what being
classed as endangered really means
by visiting the IUCN website.
Q7 Aye-ayes live in rainforest,
Length: body 400mm;
deciduous forest and dry scrub forest.
tail 400 mm Large eyes reflect
light (tapetum)
Weight: 25752800 g
The biggest threat to these organisms
is the destruction of their habitat. Find
Figure 1 Field sketch
Source: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
out what, if anything, is being done to
protect the aye-aye and its habitat.
Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology, Pearson Education Ltd 2008. University of York Science Education Group.
This sheet may have been altered from the original.

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