| The
Sidewinder and the Sidewinder Instructional
Objectives
Background Material
Procedure
Evaluation/Alternative Assessment
Web
Resources
Instructional
Objectives: Students
will:
- Identify the Sidewinder in The Living Edens "Namib" program
- Define the concept of parallelism
using the Sidewinder of the desert Southwest and
the Sidewinder of the Namib
- Draw a picture and include the
tracks left by the unusual adaptation of the
Sidewinder of the Namib
Background
Material:
There are two species of Sidewinder snakes in the Namib, the Namaqua Dwarf Adder and Peringuey's Adder. Both species of Sidewinder are
found in the Namib desert. They use a sidewinding
motion to move across the hot surface sand and have
only a small part of the body on the hot sand at one
time. This is also true of the Sidewinder rattlesnake
of the desert southwest in the United States. The
Sidewinder of Namib is a small snake only about one
foot long.
Sidewinders use quick motions to
wiggle into the sand to bury the greater part of
their body. The head of the Sidewinder is triangular
in shape. The Sidewinder will usually only have the
eyes and nostrils visible once buried in the sand.
The Southwest Desert Sidewinder is a very small
snake, usually about two feet long. (Interview with
Harry Ward, Associate Curator of Reptiles, Detroit
Zoological Society, June, 18, 1997; The Living Edens "Namib," aired July 16, 1997 on PBS)
Parallelism is the concept of two
very similar species in very different parts of the
world environment. The Sidewinder is a perfect
example of parallelism where both species survive in
very similar surroundings and behave in very similar
ways. There are many examples of parallelism in a
number of species around the world. (Interview with
Kim Sneden, Director of Education, Detroit Zoological
Society, June 16, 1997).
Target
Grade Level: Middle
level students, grades 5-9
Materials Needed:
For each student:
- Colored pencils/markers and
drawing paper
- Field guides for snakes of the
United States and/or Africa (optional)
- Snake templates with color guide
downloaded for this activity:
Template 1,
Template 2
- Student science journals
- One large plastic container of wet
sand for the evaluation/assessment section of the
activity.
Procedure:
- The class will view The Living Edens "Namib"
program and identify the Sidewinder and its
behavior in the Namib desert
- Teacher will discuss parallelism
and the Sidewinder rattlesnake of the
southwest desert
- Students will work in groups of
3-4 and each student will:
- Record the behavior of the
Sidewinder of the Namib in their science
journals
- Use the Sidewinder
templates to draw the outline of the
sidewinder:
Template 1,
Template 2
- Color the Sidewinder of
Namib to match the colors in the program
and place Sidewinder tracks in the
drawing
- Color the Sidewinder of
the desert southwest according to the
color key on the Sidewinder template
Evaluation/Alternative Assessment:
Have students display drawings in
class. Have a plastic container available with wet
sand and have representative students use fingers to
draw in the tracks of the Sidewinder. Compare and
contrast the Sidewinder of the desert southwest and
the Namib Desert. Have groups of students discuss the
concept of parallelism of the two species using their
science journals in a class discussion.
Elementary Extension:
Teacher should discuss the concept
of parallelism and have students do the same
activities as listed above less the note taking and
entry of information into science journals.
High School Extension:
Have students examine the Living
Edens Program: Namib, and identify other examples of
parallelism found in different parts of the world.
Have students work in groups, identify specific
animals and report back to class in group
presentations. (An example in Namib is the Ostrich,
the Rhea of Patagonia and the Emu of Australia)
Web Resources:
For the Sidewinder of the
desert southwest:
http://www.animals-online.be/reptiles/echte_adders/sidewinder.html
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