Science KS1/KS2: How have animal skeletons adapted?
How have animal skeletons adapted over thousands of years of evolution? In this short film for primary schools Martin Hughes-Games looks at the skeletons of animals and humans and explains how and why they have changed.
Martin joins a team of young science enthusiasts to look at four limbed animals’ skeletons and learn how they are adapted for different functions.
They also compare the structure of a dolphin’s flipper to a human arm to explain the similarities in structure.
Charles Darwin used observations like these to develop his theory that we have a common ancestor.
This short film is from the BBC series, Evolutionwatch.
Teacher Notes
This short film could be played before a school visit to a zoo or wildlife park.
You could ask your pupils to look at x-rays of animal skeletons and identify the function of the limb, then guess which animal it belongs to.
As part of a classroom activity, you could draw around one pupil to produce a body outline, then draw in the bones for the limbs.
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be relevant for teaching primary science, particularly on the topics of animals and evolution.
