I bet you didnt know Some mammals have

I bet you didn’t know… Some mammals have unusual backbones Teacher Guide Curriculum Areas Ages Skeletons & bones Vertebrates Evolution Forces 5 -11 years

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Who are the scientists? Stephanie M. Smith and Kenneth D. Angielczyk Deciphering an extreme morphology: bone microarchitecture of the hero shrew backbone (Soricidae: Scutisorex) Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B 287: 20200457 Both scientists work at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, USA. What do you think is meant by ‘microarchitecture’ in the title? What do scientists do at the Field Museum of Natural History? Can you find out more about Stephanie’s research? Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago © CC BY-SA 3. 0, Joe Ravi

What did the scientists know? A hero shrew. ©Peter Spelt CC BY-SA 3. 0 The hero shrew has an unusual backbone: • The small bones (vertebrae) are covered in finger-like bumps called tubercles. • Some of the vertebrae interlock. • The spine looks larger in hero shrews than in other shrews. • The hero shrew has an odd walk.

What did the scientists do? 20 shrews were x-rayed (13 hero shrews, 3 Thor’s hero shrews and 4 typical shrews called goliath shrews). The scientists looked at the images and compared: • the sizes of the small bones (vertebrae) • the number of bumps (tubercles) on each vertebra • the structures inside the bones Body Hole through which the spinal cord (nerves) travels Human thoracic vertebrae

What did the scientists find out? 1. More vertebrae in a hero shrew. 2. More bumps on the vertebrae of the hero shrew. 3. More and thicker rod-shaped structures inside the body of the hero shrew vertebrae. Species Number of samples Number of thoracic vertebrae Hero shrew 13 23 – 25 Thor’s hero shrew 3 22 Goliath shrew 4 19 - 20 What do you think the scientists concluded from their findings? Why do you think the hero shrew has developed its unusual spine? The spine and rib cage of the hero shrew (top) and a typical shrew (bottom).

Quick activity How many bones are inside your backbone? spine Resources Skeleton or images of the human spine pelvis

Quick activity – answers & further questions What differences do you notice? 7 12 5 The human spine © Dr Jana Official CC BY-SA 4. 0 5 4 fused

Longer investigation Can your class make a human spine? Link the 33 vertebrae together Take some modelling clay Make one vertebrae © Dr Jana Official CC BY-SA 4. 0 Resources Modelling clay* or plasticine (33 balls), pictures of vertebrae, 33 pairs of hands. You might like to thread some string through the vertebrae to represent the spinal cord.

Modelling clay recipes Non-cook play dough (Quantities per child)* • • • 4 spoons of flour 1 spoon of salt 2 spoons of warm water Half a spoon of oil Half a spoon of hand cream Liquid food colouring (optional) Mix in a bowl and ready to use.

Longer investigation Can you take accurate measurements? Hard bone Spongy bone Leg bone (femur) Resources Selection of bones (or x-rays if not possible), magnifying glasses, tape measures, string, paper, pencils

Longer investigation When you increase the diameter of a structure, is it stronger? Make a tube of paper. What load can it take before it is squashed? What happens when you increase the diameter of the tube? What happens when you increase the number of tubes? 1 tube, 4, 9, 16…? Resources Paper strips (approx. 2 cm x 10 cm), scissors, pencil, marker pen, glue, card, weights.

Questions for further learning Can you list the similarities and difference between our skull and our ribs? Children could look at images or a skeleton, and research the functions and structure of these bones. A graphic organiser could help structure the children’s ideas. Can you think of examples of how the size or shape of an animal bone is suited to its behaviour? Children could research different types of skull to see if they can identify a pattern, e. g. do carnivores/herbivores have eyes at the front or the sides of their heads? Why do you think this is? What would it be like for a human to have vertebrae with many tubercles? How would this change how we move? What advantages/disadvantages might we experience?

Graphic organiser: compare and contrast Comparing the skull and the ribs Main similarities 1 2 3 Main differences The ribs In relation to… The skull

Maths links Area of learning Activity Measuring length and diameters. (cm or mm) Investigating the strength of structures measuring strips of paper and the diameter of cylinders. Measuring load (g or kg) Investigating the strength of structures adding weights to structures. Conversion of units Conversion of weight (g or kg) to force applied (Newtons). Graphs (bar charts, scatter graphs) Investigating the strengths of structures – presenting findings

Writing links Area of learning Activity Explanation Explain how the hero shrew is different to a typical shrew. Narrative Write a story about the hero shrew – how did it get its name? Instructions / Leaflet / Poster Find out about how humans should carry heavy loads to avoid hurting their backs. Write instructions for your teacher who has to carry 30 exercise books to the staff room. Newspaper report Write a report on the scientists’ findings about the hero shrew.

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