Education

K-12 Curriculum Guide: Texas Wildlife Exhibits

Texas covers a large region of the United States and includes a wide range of climates and habitats. Consequently, Texas has a large variety of mammals, birds, and reptiles. All three kinds of animals are exhibited in their natural habitats at the Texas Memorial Museum.

Texas is geographically divided into 6 natural provinces. The climate of the provinces ranges from hot, dry, and dusty in the Chihuahuan Province of West Texas to stormy and wet in the Austroriparian Province of East Texas. The climate of each province has a great affect on the animals that live within it. What kind of animals live in your region? What does this tell you about the climate of your region?

Learning Objectives

• Identify distinguishing characteristics of animals.

• Recognize adaptations of animals.

• Learn about food chains in an ecosystem.

• Create awareness of human effects on wildlife.

Discussion Questions and Activity Suggestions

Level	Strategy	Example	TEKS Correlations
Elementary School	Discussion Questions	What is the difference between plants and animals?	§112.2.b.K.6.B §112.3.b.1.6.A,B §112.5.b.3.10.B
		What are mammals, birds, and reptiles? What are the similarities and differences among them?	§112.2.b.K.6.A §112.5.b.3.10.A
		How do a snake's teeth help it survive?	§112.2.b.K.5.A §112.4.b.2.6.D §112.6.b.4.8.A
	Activities	Tell a relative about three animals you saw at the museum. Were they mammals? Reptiles? Birds?	§112.5.b.3.10.A §112.4.b.2.5.A §112.4.b.2.8.A
		Pretend you could have one of the characteristics of any animal. Which would you choose and why?	§112.4.b.2.8.A §112.3.b.1.6.B §112.4.b.2.6.D
		Draw any animal in its natural environment.	§112.5.b.3.8.A §112.7.b.5.9.B
Middle School	Discussion Questions	How are nocturnal animals adapted to their way of life?	§112.23.b.7.12.C §112.22.b.6.11.A
		Using an example, describe a predator-prey relationship.	§112.23.b.7.5.B §112.23.b.7.12.B
		What would happen to the animals in the Balconian province of Texas if the environ-ment suddenly became like that of the Chihuahuan province?	§112.24.b.8.11.A
		Choose two physical traits of an animal that have helped it to survive in its environment.	§112.23.b.7.10.B §112.24.b.8.14.B
	Activities	Find out how the size of North America's buffalo population has changed over time, and make a graph of your findings. Use at least two sources in your research.	§112.24.b.8.14.B §112.22.b.6.2.E §112.24.b.8.2.E
		Draw a map of Texas showing the different biotic provinces. What are the animals and the environment like in each province?	§112.22.b.6.2.E §112.24.b.8.2.E §112.22.b.6.3.C §112.24.b.8.3.C
High School	Discussion Questions	What kind of human interactions have damaged ecosystems? What kind have helped?	§112.44.c.4.C §112.44.c.8.C,D
		What are some adaptations that animals use to better survive in their environment.	§112.43.c.12.C §112.44.c.4.A
		Explain how predation affects an entire ecosystem.	§112.43.c.12.B §112.44.c.4.C
	Activities	Research three animals from the Texas Memorial Museum and classify them from kingdom to species.	§112.43.c.8.A,B,C
		Using any biotic province in Texas, explain interactions that occur including competition, food webs, and transfer of energy. Include examples.	§112.43.c.12.A,B,E

Additional Resources

The Herps of Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife Conservation Programs

Wild Texas - Texas Wildlife Identification & Viewing Guide