Animal Hands

Different functions of homologous structures

Background
In this lesson, students use x-rays of different animal hands to examine the relationship between structure and function. Students enhance and examine 10 x-ray images of animal hands. The hands chosen for this activity have a variety of different functions including swimming, walking, flying, and grabbing. The image processing in this activity is open-ended, and the student text contains simple instructions for several possible image processing techniques. By manipulating the images in different ways, students bring out previously hidden features of the hands. The problem solving focus of the activity encourages cooperative learning and exploration. Students can share discoveries with one another and give advice on useful image processing techniques. Thus, Animal Hands is an excellent activity for students learning image processing. The lesson is designed so that students describe the features of the x-ray images and then attribute possible functions to the various forms. Encourage students to relate structure to function first, and then function to animal lifestyle, rather than merely matching x-ray to animal. X-ray images can be deceiving, and students should be aware that the hands will look different in x-ray than in regular photographs. For example, although five separate fingers can be seen in the sea lion x-ray, these bones actually make up a single flipper. Each of these images has interesting features that can be discussed or explored. Following is a guide to these features. Examine the digital images as well because many of the features do not show up clearly on paper. 712

Teaching Notes

Suggested Grades Goal

Students will explore the relationship between structure and function and compare homologous structures across species.

Topics
Evolution Animals Homologous structures Comparative anatomy Functional morphology

Biology Strands
Form & Function Modeling & Visualization Diversity & Evolution Behavior

01 human hand
Note the long, opposable thumb and the Long thumb relative number of joints in the fingers. The fingers to fingers are slender and designed for performing precise tasks. This hand belongs to a feSeveral joints in fingers to facilitate male.
bending

Science Skills
Observation Data Analysis Synthesis

Technology
X-ray imaging

02 hyena paw
This hyena paw is similar to a dog or cat paw. Note the claws at the tip of the fingers and the padding underneath. The hyenas four phalanges (skeletal fingers) are designed to support weight, and the thick pads protect the paw from sharp objects on the ground.

IPTechnique Sheets
Windows Look-Up Tables Density Slicing

Protective pad underneath paw Claws for digging and defense

03 lion paw
This lion paw has thick bones to support the massive weight of the animal as it walks. The only joint in the phalanges is very large and is used more as a shock absorber than as a flexible joint. Note the long, thick claws for hunting. The tips appear dense on the xray where they curve downward.

Massive joint Long, thick claws

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Short, nonopposable thumb Epiphyseal (growth) plates Lumpy flesh padding phalanges

04 macaque monkey hand

This small monkey uses its hands to swing through trees and to manipulate objects. The monkey shown here is a juvenile whose bones are still growing. The cartilage in the area of bone growth is not visible on an xray, so the ends of the bones look like they are not connected.

05 sea lion flipper

Epiphyseal (growth) plates

Fleshy flipper covering bones

This California sea lion uses its hand for pushing water as it swims. Like the macaque monkey, this x-ray is also of a juvenile. The phalanges are long, thin, and slightly curved. Their shape provides a good support for the paddle-shaped flipper.

06 sun bear paw

Malaysian sun bears are smaller than most bears. Their small size is evident by the thin bones in their front paws. They use their front paws for walking and digging. They have long claws at the tip of their phalanges. This bear was x-rayed because it has a deformity.

Thin bones indicate small size. Deformity in paw

07 beluga whale flipper

The beluga whale is the largest animal xrayed in this activity. It is no surprise, then, that its bones are so massive. The whales flipper is curved and acts to push its heavy body through the water. This x-ray is of poor quality because it is difficult to x-ray a whale.

Thick, rocklike bones Curved phalanges

08 zebra hoof
The zebra has a hoof similar to that of a horse. Hooves are designed for fast running. Inside of the hard, protective hoof material is a single, large finger. Despite being covered by the hoofy material, separations between the phalanges can still be seen.

Hoof material Separation between bones

09 owl wing
The owl uses its hand for pushing itself through the air. Bird bones must be both strong and light. Most bird bones are hollow and therefore do not show up very well on x-rays. In this x-ray, the plastic-like feather shafts can be seen coming off the bones.

Feather shafts

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10 panda paw
Extra thumb for holding bamboo

The panda, named Sing Sing, was a gift from China to the United States in 1972. Pandas have an extra thumb, which is really an extended wrist bone.

Claws

This lesson is also an excellent introduction to the concept of homology across species. Homology is one of the most important concepts in evolutionary biology, but it is also one of the most difficult. The images in this activity can be used for comparing homologous structures. They illustrate that the form of homologous structures can vary greatly between different animals, especially when the lifestyles of the animals are different. Because evolution is a continuous process through time, structures often retain clues to their former uses. The bones of a sea lion flipper, for example, appear to be separate fingers, although they are within a single fleshy paddle. This could serve as a point of discussion about how the changing needs of animals over evolutionary time have resulted in the diversity of structures we see today. Homology is addressed in the final section of the main activity, Mystery Animal. Here, students examine the morphology of the mystery hand and determine which of the ten animals in the activity are most related to the mystery animal. The mystery animal (a baboon) is a primate, like the human and macaque monkey in the activity. This could be used as a starting point for discussing evolution and phylogeny. If students finish the activity early, or are interested in exploring more animal x-rays, there are more animal x-rays in the Zoo Animals folder. Most of these animals have a medical condition for which they were x-rayed. The leopard, for example, had a broken shoulder that had to be stabilized with metal pins.

Curricular Context
Prerequisites
Students should have an idea of what the animals used in this activity look like. Reference books with pictures of the animals represented in the x-rays are helpful for students unfamiliar with their appearance.

Related Activities
Place the animals used in this activity in an evolutionary tree. Compare skeletons of related and unrelated species. Compare footprints of different animals.

Integration
Environmental Science Endangered species Careers Zoo personnel, veterinary technician, veterinarian, x-ray technician

Biology Objectives
Given x-ray images of various animal hands, the student will: describe morphological features propose a function for each hand identify the animal to which each hand belongs

1996 Arizona Board of Regents. Limited classroom reproduction rights are granted under the notice appearing earlier in this work.

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Acknowledgments
Activity developed by Denice Warren, Image Processing for Teaching project, University of Arizona, and Kathy Krucker, Palo Verde High School, Tucson, Arizona. The x-rays of the hyena, lion, macaque monkey, sun bear, and zebra were obtained with the help of Ed Hansen, Senior Keeper at the Reid Park Zoo. For more information on the Reid Park Zoo, contact: Reid Park Zoo 1100 Randolph Way Tucson, AZ 85716 The x-ray of the owl was obtained with the help of Peter Siminski, Mammalian Curator at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. For more information contact: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N. Kinney Road Tucson, AZ 85743 The x-ray of the sea lion flipper was provided by Jim Antrim, the curator of Sea World in San Diego. For more information on Sea World, contact: Sea World 1720 South Shores Road San Diego, CA 92109 The x-ray of the panda was provided by Lena Busch at the National Zoological Park. More information on Sing Sing the panda can be obtained from: The National Zoological Park Smithsonian Institute Washington, DC 20008 The x-ray image of the beluga whale was provided by the Minnesota Zoo. More information on the Minnesota Zoological Gardens can be obtained from: The Minnesota Zoological Gardens: Zoo-Mobile 13000 Zoo Blvd. Apple Valley, MN 55124 The x-ray of the human hand was obtained with the help of Amy Kublin, Fort Lowell Physical Therapy, Tucson, Arizona.

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Answers
13. Possible descriptions are given below:

X-ray #

Description The thumb is long relative to the hand. Density slicing or contrast manipulation reveals flesh surrounding the bones, and separate fingers can be seen. This hand has no individual fingers, but it does have claws. The walking pad underneath the bones can be seen, and the shape of the hand can be brought out with density slicing. This hand has very thick bones and massive knuckles. There are long, thick claws at the ends of the fingers. This hand has individual fingers, and looks very similar to a human's except that the thumb is a bit shorter. Flesh can be seen with density slicing. Although individual finger bones can be seen in this hand, they have a single fleshy covering shaped like a fin. The bones are thin relative to their length. This hand has a bone deformity: two of the fingers are turned outward. Claws can be seen at the tip of the hand. These bones are very thick relative to their lengths. They almost look like rocks. The fingers curve a bit. The hand bones of this animal are embedded in a hoof. Density slicing brings out the shape of the hoof. Separations between the bones can be seen by enhancing contrast. This hand has few separate fingers, and the bones are very thin. Adjusting the contrast reveals feather shafts coming off the hand, or wing. This hand has five fingers and one extra extension coming out of the wrist. This extension, unlike the other fingers, does not have any joints.

Function

Animal

01

grasping/manipulating

human

02

walking/running

hyena

03

walking/running

lion

04

grasping/manipulating

macaque

05

swimming

sea lion

06

walking/running

sun bear

07

swimming

beluga whale

08

walking/running

zebra

09

flying

owl

10

walking/manipulating

panda

4. The mystery hand is that of a primate because it has five fingers that appear to be used for grasping and manipulating objects. Its thumb is short relative to its fingers, therefore making it more related to the macaque monkey than to the human. (Either answer, though, is acceptable. The x-ray is of a baboon.)

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Animal Hands
Different functions of homologous structures
Many animals share similar body structures. For instance, your nose, a pigs snout, and an elephants trunk can all be called noses. Though these noses have different functions and appearances, all have a similar location and structure. Such similar features are called homologous structures. Open x-ray images 01 through 10. You may have to close one or two images to open the next one. Briefly examine each image. These x-rays show the hands of the following animals: beluga whale human hyena macaque monkey sun bear owl zebra panda lion sea lion

Lesson

homologous = agreeing in Greek.

File/Open File/Close Windows/Next Image to view each of the x-rays. See the Windows IPTechnique Sheet for tips on working with several windows open.

A structures shape is often related to its function. A hand used for swimming (a fin) is shaped differently than one used for supporting an animals weight as it walks. Likewise, a hand used for flying (a wing) is shaped differently than one used to manipulate objects and use tools. Examine these x-ray images of animal hands in more detail and compare their structures. Based on the shape of each hand, figure out its main function and determine its owner. Enhance the features of the animal hands. You may want to use some of the following techniques. Refer to the Look-Up Tables and Density Slicing IPTechnique Sheets for more details. To use this technique adjust brightness and contrast do this drag the brightness and contrast sliders in the Map window. Options/Density Slice Edit/Invert use Process menu items Options/Color Tables use the tool in the LUT

Hints
The size of each x-ray is not related to the size of the animal. The heavier an animal is, the thicker its bones are. This is a sign that the bones support weight. Macaques and humans are both primates, but macaque hands have more padding for swinging on tree branches. Bird bones are difficult to see in x-rays because they are very thin and light. Pandas appear to have five fingers plus a thumb. This false thumb is an extension of one of their wrist bones. Pandas use it to strip leaves from bamboo, their main food source. Sun bears are small bears. This sun bear has a deformed front paw. You may want to look at a picture of each of these animals.

density slice invert the image enhance image with filters switch color tables adjust color tables

If the image looks worse after enhancing Edit/Undo to undo the last thing you did, or File/Revert to Saved to return to the original image. 1. Briefly describe the main features of each hand. Here are some clues: Does the hand appear to have individual fingers? Does the hand show fingernails or claws? Are the bones thick compared to their length? How many joints does each finger have? Can you tell the shape of the flesh covering the bones?
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2. In your table, state the function of each hand. 3. Based on the structure and function of each hand, identify the animal shown in each x-ray.

Functions can include: flying, swimming, grasping/ manipulating, walking/running.

Mystery Animal
Open Mystery Animal. Animals that are closely related usually have very similar structures. For example, all species of birds have wings, even flightless birds. Because of these similarities, you can figure out what kind of animal a hand belongs to even if you dont know the exact species. 4. Which of the animals in this activity do you think is most closely related to the mystery animal? Justify your answer.

Further Exploration
On the sea lion, zebra, and human images, use the tool to label the characteristics that helped you identify the hands function. What are the main differences between the three hands? What do they all have in common? Based on your observations, describe how you would expect an x-ray of a bats wing to appear. Research the behavior of one or more of these animals to find out what other functions their hands serve. Examine the images in the Zoo Animals folder.

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Animal Hands
Name(s) Class Date

Data Sheet

Hand functions include:

flying swimming
Animals shown include:

grasping/manipulating walking/running human owl hyena panda lion sea lion macaque monkey zebra

beluga whale sun bear

13. X-ray # 01

Description

Function

Animal

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

4. Which of the animals in this activity do you think is most closely related to the mystery animal? Justify your answer.

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1996 Arizona Board of Regents. Limited classroom reproduction rights are granted under the notice appearing earlier in this work.