Title:
Giant Ammonite
Episode:7Te Papa Collection:Natural Environment
Suggested curriculum levels:3 – 5
Curriculum connections:English: Listening, Reading, and Viewing, Science: Living World
Description:One of New Zealand's largest fossils is on permanent display in Te Papa. Riria Hotere goes back to the time of dinosaurs to meet an enormous, armoured squid-like creature.
Questions for students
- What is an ammonite? Who found the specimen? When and where was it found? How was it collected?
- Ammonites lived in the Jurassic period of Earth's history. Find out the names of the different periods of this history. Include the time span and unique characteristics of each period.
- What present-day animal is the ammonite most closely related to? Use the 'Comparisons' response template to record the differences and similarities. Create a visual representation to illustrate your information.
- Find out more about how ammonites used water and air to move through the ocean. What scientific principles do they illustrate?
- What do you think would have been the predator of the Giant Ammonite? What behavioural and physical adaptations would have helped ammonites to survive?
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