Animal Skulls Exploration

Single program or series | One school visit (1 hour) or one school visit (1 hour) and one field trip (2 hours)

Compare mammal skulls and determine the adaptations that have allowed each animal to survive as a predator or prey. Learn how to deduce an animal’s diet from knowledge of its teeth; read clues to distinguish between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores; and use your observation skills to identify unknown skulls.

On a follow-up field trip, students will use this information during an exploration of a wildlife sanctuary or their schoolyard. While searching for signs left behind by primary and secondary consumers, students will construct a model of the food chains involved, linking these chains to create the diverse food web of this ecosystem.

Locations: Your school and/or either Broad Meadow Brook or Wachusett Meadow