a warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate that is the only animal with feathers.

 an organism, such as a fungus, bacterium, or earthworm, that breaks down dead plants and animals.

The process of grouping things based on similarities.

an organism that gets its energy by eating other organisms, such as plants or animals, because it cannot make its own food.

an organism, like a plant or algae, that makes its own food using energy from the sun through a process called photosynthesis.

an animal that has a backbone, a body covered in hair or fur, and is warm-blooded.

an animal that has a backbone and an internal skeleton.

 science of sorting and naming living things based on their shared features.

an animal that does not have a backbone or internal bony skeleton.

a cold-blooded aquatic vertebrate with gills for breathing, scales for protection, and fins for movement.

 a cold-blooded vertebrate animal with dry, scaly skin that usually lays eggs on land.

a cold-blooded vertebrate animal that typically spends part of its life in water and part on land, going through a process of metamorphosis as it grows.

a specific characteristic that is determined by its genes, its environment, or both.

a characteristic or behavior an organism develops during its lifetime due to environmental influences or experiences.

an observable characteristic of an organism that is passed down from parents to their offspring.

a characteristic that is always expressed, or shown, when a gene is passed from a parent to its offspring.

the genetic material that carries all the information about how a living thing will look and function.

a characteristic passed down from parent to offspring.

 the process by which traits or characteristics are passed down from parents to their children

a characteristic that is only visible when an individual inherits two copies of the same gene, one from each parent.

the common traits that define living organisms and distinguish them.

an acquired trait that an organism learns through education, observation, or experiences.

the seasonal movement of a group of animals from one location to another in search of food, a better climate, or to reproduce.

everything around us, including all the living and non-living things that affect an organism's life, such as air, water, land, plants, and animals.

an action that occurs immediately on a trigger, does not have to be taught.

 how an organism acts in response to a situation or stimulus.

 a state of deep, winter-long inactivity that some animals use to survive the cold and lack of food.

a special physical body part or behavior that helps a living thing (plant or animal) survive and reproduce in its specific environment.

Is an ant, living or nonliving?

A student creates a simple diagram of plants that have been sorted into groups. Which characteristics did the student most likely use to sort the plants into these groups?

A student creates a model that sorts plants based on their characteristics. Which characteristics best complete this model?

What is the function of vascular tissue in plants?

A student is comparing all of the qualities of a pine tree and a rosebush. Which of the following is the best way for the student to record information that compares a pine tree and a rosebush?

Sam is hoping to classify an animal in the correct group. She knows that the animal has a backbone, is cold-blooded, and can live in the water. Which category below does the animal NOT belong to?

The picture shows a unique animal called a pangolin. The pangolin has scales, is warm-blooded, gives live birth, and nurses its young. What group of animals is the pangolin most like?

The table shows characteristics of two different types of animals. Which animals do X and Y MOST LIKELY represent?

How are animals classified as a vertebrate or an invertebrate?

What is true about birds and mammals that is NOT true about reptiles, fish, and amphibians?

Kayla has a garden of red roses and a garden of white roses. She wants a garden with pink roses. Ben says to replant the red and white roses beside each other, and they will turn pink. Kayla tells him that this will not work. Who is correct, and why?

Jessie's new stepmom is an excellent piano player and wants to give Jesse lessons. Jessie refuses, because her own mother and father are terrible piano players. "I'll be bad at it," Jessie says. "No, you won't!" says her new stepmom.

Why is Jessie's stepmom so sure that she won't be a terrible piano player like her parents?

Ronald has a new baby sister. By the time she is three years old, Ronald's sister is able to talk, walk, stack blocks, and use a spoon. She has grown very fast, and her hair has changed from blonde to brown. Which of Ronald's sister's characteristics was passed on to her from her parents?

Which of the following is NOT an inherited trait that has made the cheetah into the fastest animal on land?

Marlowe has a white, floppy-eared rabbit and wants her to have white, floppy-eared babies. What two traits should Marlowe look for in the father rabbit to make sure this happens?

A person who breeds animals keeps careful records of the fur color of parents and offspring from each generation. The fur color is a trait transferred from generation to generation. What are the structures that carry the information for these traits?

The characteristics of a dolphin are shown in the illustration. The dolphin inherited all of these characteristics from its parents EXCEPT-

Two students listed some traits of their favorite football player.

• -is the youngest of four children

• -has brown hair and brown eyes

• -is taller than other teammates

• -is good at throwing and catching a football

Which question would help the student determine which trait in the list is an acquired trait of the football player?

All of the following can be inherited by the offspring of an apple tree EXCEPT-

A student observes a tree that is shaped like a cone. What question would help the student decide whether this shape is inherited or acquired?

David adopted a puppy. The puppy had light brown fur and large brown  eyes. The puppy had very sharp teeth and liked to chew on things. As  the puppy grew, its fur turned a deep, dark brown. The puppy could  fetch a ball, chew on a bone, run very fast, and beg for food. Which  TWO questions can David ask to find out which characteristics of his  puppy are learned behaviors?  

Noah is watching the fish in his fish tank. All of the fish have bright  colors. The fish swim around the tank without bumping into each  other. The fish swim away quickly when he claps his hands loudly. All  of the fish swim to the surface when he lifts the lid to feed them.  Which question can be asked to find out which characteristic of the  fish is a learned behavior?  

A scientist observes a chimpanzee using a branch to get food. The  chimpanzee finds an ant colony and sticks the branch inside of the  nest in order to aggravate the ants. As the ants scatter, many will  climb up the branch, allowing the chimpanzee to collect a large  

amount and eat them. 

Is the chimpanzee's behavior an example of an instinctual behavior or  of a learned behavior? Why?  

Joe is doing a research project on bird characteristics and behaviors.  Which of the following is the most reliable resource for him to use for  information?  

Eastern monarch butterflies can migrate from southern Canada all  the way to Mexico in the wintertime. Migration is an example of 

Hadley wants to understand how mother cats teach their kittens to  hunt in the wild. What type of investigation is best for Hadley to see  how domestic cats hunt in the wild?  

Which sea otter is showing a learned behavior? 

Which behavior is an example of an instinct, rather than a learned  behavior?  

 Which of the following is an example of an animal showing a learned  behavior?  

Select three that are examples of an inherited trait. 

 When an animal is not born with a trait but rather picks it up  from the environment, it is referred to as learned behavior. Which of  the following is the best example of learned behavior?  

Female sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches, bury them, and return  to the ocean. When the eggs hatch, the baby turtles crawl to the  ocean. Crawling to the ocean is what kind of behavior?

A wolf cub came too close to a skunk, and was sprayed by its foul smelling chemical spray. Now, the wolf cub stays away from skunks. What type of behavior is this?

A behavior that is developed from experience...

Changes in behavior based on experience is ___ behavior.

A bird building a nest in the spring is an example of ___.

Behaviors that organisms are BORN WITH are _______ behaviors.

Which of the following statements distinguishes an inherited behavior from a learned behavior

Why do some animals migrate?

Inherited traits are controlled by

Eye color, hair color, having freckles, etc. are examples of:

A trait is____________.