How Do You Describe a New Species of Chameleon?
Articles/Websites
Grades5, 6, 7, 8Biology
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Provided by Mongabay Kids
What it is
- This article walks through the seven steps herpetologist Frank Glaw and his colleagues follow to identify and describe a new species of chameleon, from library and museum research through field expeditions in Madagascar to peer-reviewed publication.
- The article closes with ways young people can help protect chameleons and their forest habitats, including uploading photos to iNaturalist and raising awareness about threats from slash-and-burn agriculture.
Teaching tips
Classroom Implementation:
- Use the piece to introduce the distinction between discovering an organism and formally describing a species, and have students discuss why peer review matters before a new species is considered official.
Prerequisites
- Consider pre-teaching vocabulary such as type specimen, morphological data, osteological characters, and peer review can be pre-taught or turned into a student-built glossary to support comprehension.
Extensions:
- Have students explore biodiversity in their own region using iNaturalist and reflect on how citizen observations contribute to scientific knowledge.
Climate Change Connections:
- Discuss how climate change impacts biodiversity and emphasize the need for protecting biodiversity, especially when some species are yet undiscovered.
From the scientist review
Scientist's Note:
- The steps described in the article can be generalized to describe how scientific research, with fieldwork, is done. This can help readers understand how scientists make new discoveries.
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