Investigating Structures and Behaviors of Organisms

Joe put a deer feeder on his 180-acre ranch in the Texas Hill Country. The feeder is 12' tall, battery-powered, and light-sensitive. It automatically scatters corn from a dispenser at dawn and dusk. Joe saw small, muddy footprints on the dispenser and knew that raccoons were climbing up the supports of the feeder and reaching their tiny hands into the dispenser to get the corn. This behavior of raccoons--

• is inherited

• is uniques only to these racoons

• is learned

• happened only one time

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African elephants have enough physical strength to tear open tree trunks and suck out water with their trunks. This adaptation is most likely very useful for elephants-

• during their mating season

• between rainy seasons

• when they migrate

• when they sharpen and reshape their tusks

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Which of these is most likely the cause of a father and son having almost identical-sounding voices?

• learned behaviors

• environmental conditions

• inherited characteristics

• instinctive characteristics

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A species of fox has white fur during one part of the year and brown fur during another part of the year. These foxes are best suited to survive in which biome?

• tropical rainforest

• grassland

• tundra

• desert

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When birds fly south for the winter, they are exhibiting

• courtship.

• mimicry.

• learned behavior.

• instinctive behavior.

Which group contains only inherited traits?

• hair texture throwing a baseball reading weight

• length of hair ability to swim lung capacity clarity of vision

• baldness right-handedness food preference balance

• hair color eye color height shape of nose

The box shows facts about Texas horned lizards.

Which fact describes an inherited physical trait of the horned lizards?

• Have flat bodies

• Live in dry areas

• Make nests in sand

• Are a threatened species

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Catfish Catfish get their name from whiskery structures called barbels. Barbels are long, finger-like structures found near the mouth and help the catfish locate smaller invertebrates. Taste buds are located on barbels. Catfish also have small eyes and a mouth that can expand to a very large size. They are considered bottom-feeders because they swim near the lower parts of water. Behind the mouth and in front of the dorsal fin is a hollow, bony spine. In some species of catfish, the spine can deliver a stinging substance.

What are spines most likely used for?

• defense

• nutrition

• reproduction

• Movement

The type of beak a bird has allows it to eat certain kinds of food. Which bird has a beak that is most likely adapted for getting food from places that are hard to reach?

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Certain mammals have large ears with a high density of blood vessels to release body heat. Which animal most likely needs this adaptation?

• a desert jackrabbit

• a Canadian lynx

• the American black bear

• the long-eared owl

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