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Instructional Video

Tuatara All the Way Down: Face to Face with a Living Fossil!

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Change is good ... unless you're a tuatara! Meet Earth's oldest surviving reptile species in a fun video from an extensive science playlist. Content includes why the tuatara did not evolve and its unique anatomy.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Concepts
evolution, fossils, reptiles, lizards, snakes, eyes, animal adaptations, animal anatomy, sexual reproduction, new zealand, natural selection, adaptations
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Additional Tags
science
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Instructional Ideas
  • Include the video in an evolution lesson to show why the process occurs only when needed 
  • Have pupils create a phylogenic tree that includes the tuatara for practice in tracing common ancestry
Classroom Considerations
  • Make sure the class understands basic evolutionary concepts before viewing
  • This video is hosted on YouTube
Pros
  • Viewers travel with the narrator to the Dallas Zoo to see the tuatara
  • Animations help convey the simple yet effective anatomical features of the creature
Cons
  • None
Common Core
SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.9-10.2