Life On Earth Elephant Relatives Worksheet

Name : ____________________________
Chapter 17: Life on Earth
Activity designed by Kathleen Rudolph

Taxa to explore – Elephants!!
1. Review terms (write definitions for these terms)
Extant

Extinct

Genotype

Phenotype

Synapomorphy

Background: There are three extant species of elephant: Elaphas maximus (Asian elephants), Loxodonta africana (African elephants), and Loxodonta cyclotis (African forest elephants). Their taxonomic hierarchy is as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: Elaphas
Species: maximus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: Loxodonta
Species: africana Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus: Loxodonta
Species: cyclotis
2. Collect an image of each species – be sure to label which is which! Either paste them below, or submit them as separate files. (see full assignment instructions)

3. Looking at these pictures, can you think of any EXTINCT animal or animals that might be a close relative of modern elephants? List it/them below. If you know the scientific name (genus and species) then you can put that. If you aren’t quite sure, just give the common name.

4. Now think about EXTANT taxa. Identify 2 animals that you might expect to be the closest LIVING relative to the elephants. List it/them below. If you know the scientific name (genus and species) then you can put that. If you aren’t quite sure, just give the common name.
Possible Relative A

Possible Relative B

5. For the closest EXTANT relatives you identified in #4, what characteristic(s) of that animal or its habitat led you choose it as “probable closest relative”? (consider geographic location, size, anatomy, behavior etc). Be specific.

Characteristics of Animal A

Characteristics of Animal B

Now to the science –

As we learned this week, some