Variation of Traits

Before Video

• A trait is a characteristic of an individual that can be inherited or passed down from parents.

• No. Offspring may look similar to the parents because traits were passed down from both the mother and the father to the offspring.

• No. Different traits from the mother and father are passed down to each offspring. Siblings (like two sisters) may look very similar but not EXACTLY the same.

• No. Individuals of any type of animals have different traits, even if they look similar.
  
  

After Video

• The puppies look different from their mom and dad because they have inherited traits from both the mom and the dad. Each puppy inherited slightly different traits.

• Common examples of traits you can see include eye color, height and hair color in humans. In the puppies, common examples include fur color, ear shape, tail length, size and snout length.

• If one alligator’s eyes are positioned so that it can see more than another, it may be more likely to survive because it can better detect predators.

• The lemurs were similar in shape and size. They all had long tails and pointed ears.

• The different lemurs had differences in fur color and patterns. One had a bump on its nose. Another had large eyebrows. One had a different color fur on its head. There were also differences between males and females.

• Different species in the same environment might have similar challenges in surviving. For example, white fur on polar bears and white fur on arctic bunnies helps both of them blend into the snow.

• White fur makes it more difficult to blend into the forest making it easier for their prey to see them coming. This means it is harder for them to find food, which makes it harder to survive.