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Animal Grossology

Details
Activity Length
4 Activities
Topics
Animals
Activity Type
Unit
Language
English
Print

Science isn’t always neat and tidy — it’s sometimes “GROSS!”

Cool, right?

Blood, vomit, brains, and owl pellets aren’t things you always want to talk about, but they provide valuable information about animals and how they live.

We can expand the way we think about the world by exploring the interesting world of animals and the so-called “gross” things about them.

Explore why vomit is important, pretend to be a bloodsucking parasite, and do some dissecting to learn more about how "grossology" is actually pretty cool!

LIST OF ACTIVITIES

Eat Like a Housefly — Eat Barf!
Blood Sucker’s Swamp
Owl Pellet Dissection
Fake Animal Scat

Objectives

  • Describe why vomiting is beneficial to both humans and other animals.

  • Explain how scientists can determine what an animal eats by examining its waste.

  • Dissect an owl pellet and reconstruct the bones of the owl’s regurgitated prey.

Materials

  • see individual activities for materials.

Background

Animals are amazing for snuggling, and can be excellent playmates — we even keep some animals as pets and love them like our family.

But… have you ever thought about how your pet’s brain works? How about its bodily excretions? Probably not! Scientists, however, do explore the grosser side of animal physiology and behaviour in order to learn more about them.

Look to the “Introduction” section of each activity for more information about the specifics of:

  • How a housefly uses vomit to feed
  • How leeches travel
  • How we can learn about owl’s diets and habitats by dissecting their pellets
  • How the different parts of the brain function

Other Resources

Books | “Grossology” Series:  Grossology, Grossology and You, and Animal Grossology by Sylvia Branzei

About the sticker

Survivors

Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

Egg BB

Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

Comet Crisp

Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

T-Rex and Baby

Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

About the sticker

Buddy the T-Rex

Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

About the sticker

Geodessy

Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

About the sticker

Science Buddies

Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.

About the sticker

Western Dinosaur

Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.

About the sticker

Time-Travel T-Rex

Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.

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