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Student reflection

Recently, our Year 11 Biology class has been studying about the processes of adaptation in animals and humans within the natural word, and the various astonishing techniques that humans have developed in order to save specific species from extinction!

To conclude the unit of study, we went on an excursion to the Melbourne Zoo. The day was jam packed full of exciting and educational experiences targeted at helping us understand how inherited adaptation impacts on diversity, and how animals have adapted to their evolving and harsh environments during evolution.

We began our excursion by wandering around the monkey and tiger enclosures, at first we were a little disappointed that the tigers were asleep, however we came back for a second time and luckily the beautiful cats were awake! After enjoying the lovely scenery that the zoo has to offer, we made our way to the elephant enclosure, where we observed the environment that best suited our largest mammals, and their unique characteristics that have assisted them in surviving.

Having everyone get a little hungry, we decided to quickly take a look at the reptile house before having a lunch break. We observed the ways in which certain reptiles had skin that camouflage to their surroundings as an adaptation, or how various male snakes had beautiful patterns on their scales in order to attract females in time for mating.

Eager to continue our journey, we decided to indulge first in some delicious treats sold at the zoo’s Cafe, before making our way to an animal keeper’s talk. The talk was about the snow leopards just by the snow leopard’s enclosure. The encolsure contained one female snow leopard named Mishka, that although being 9 years old, had power, agility, and strength, that left us all astonished. The talk concluded with the keeper giving us free treats and toys for our pet cats. We then headed towards the giraffe’s encolsure and Australian wildlife as our final destination. While looking at the giraffes, we were able to identify the reasons for their long necks, and how this adaptation has assisted them in obtaining food that only they could reach! Reflecting on our experience, it was eye opening and intriguing, full of many enjoyable and interactive things activities. We would like to thank Sister Rita for all the wonderful photos she took on the day!

-Ayla and Helene