Natural History refers to what is known about a species’ life and behaviors in its environments, its range, its relations with other species and its evolutionary history.  For this part of your Animal Book, research and present the information listed below.

Cite your sources and include bibliographic information in your Animal Book.

• The order, family and genus of your animal (example: Townsend’s chipmunk is in order Rodentia, family Sciuridae, genus Tamias) and the characteristics that distinguish the order, the family and the genus.
• The characteristics that distinguish your animal’s species from other species in its genus.
• A physical description of the species that includes size and weight, shape of the body and skull and details of its coloration, markings and general appearance (include descriptions for both males and females if this species is sexually dimorphic).
• Its vocalization or other sound producing behaviors.
• Details of the habitat and range in which it is commonly found.
• The species’ behaviors.  For example: is it diurnal or nocturnal? Does it hibernate?  When is its common breeding period? What does it eat? What role does it play in the ecosystem?
• The species’ evolutionary history, including the development of different traits and domestication or co-evolution with humans if relevant.  Try to learn as much as you can about the phylogeny of the species, but at a minimum, find out the geologic era in which it diverged from other species in its genus, family and order and where those groupings initially evolved.  You may want to sketch a phylogenetic tree that helps illustrate this information.