Some animals have more in common than meets the eye. An episode of the PBS Eon series analyzes the fossil records of a mammal nicknamed the hell pig. The lesson describes how evolutionary methods determine the genetic evolution of the specimen.

Concepts

evolution, genetic variation, phylogenetic trees

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• After viewing the video, have pupils create a phylogenic tree of the species featured in the video
• Have learners compare and contrast the features of the modern pig with the hell pigs

Classroom Considerations

• Expects a general understanding of genetic variation

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Discusses real fossil evidence
• Offers the option for closed captioning

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.8.2 SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RST.6-8.7 RST.9-10.7 RST.11-12.7