Marvellous Mini-beasts Design a Species www.britishscienceassociation.org/ creststar
Marvellous Mini-beastsDesign a Species
www.britishscienceassociation.org/creststar
What is a mini-beast?
What is a mini-beast?
Scorpions Butterflies & moths Slugs & snails
Dragonflies & damselflies Spiders Beetles
What is a mini-beast?
Invertebrates have no backbone or internal skeleton
Invertebrates have an exoskeleton
How many legs?
0, 6, 8 or lots!
Some have wings, some don’t
Take many shapes and forms
What is adaptation?
“the way animals and plants become better at living in their habitat”
• Adaptations allow animals and plants to live successfully in their habitat.
• Animals and plants that live in different habitats need different adaptations.
Movement
Centipede
Snail
Earthworm
Dragonfly
Escaping predators
Ladybird Monarch butterfly
Apollo butterfly Pill millipede
Camouflage
Stick insect
Peppered moth
Effective hunting
House spider
Scorpion Trapdoor spider
Not all mini-beasts hunt…
...some are herbivores!
Leaf-cutter ants
Swallowtail butterfly
Dung beetle
Winning a mate
Male rhinoceros beetle
Design your own mini-beast!
Things to think about…
• How does it move?
• How does it defend itself against predators?
• Is it brightly coloured or camouflaged?
• What does it eat?
• How does it attract mates?
• Does it live with other members of the same species?
• Where does it live? E.g. trees? Burrows? Underground?
Introducing the “flying leaf creeper”
Things to think about as you design your mini-beast…
• How does it move?
• How does it defend itself against predators?
• Is it brightly coloured or camouflaged?
• What does it eat?
• How does it attract mates?
• Does it live with other members of the same species?
• Where does it live? E.g. trees? Burrows? Underground?
This activity is accredited by the British Science
Association and can count towards the
CREST Investigators SuperStar Award
www.britishscienceassociation.org/creststar