Varied Piglet Markings

This litter of pigs all have the same parents, but some have black and white markings, while two have red and white. It is evidence that animals have varied inherited traits.

• Why are there two pigs in the litter that have red and white markings instead of black and white markings?

• If these piglets have the same parents, why do they look different?

Students could:

• Create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the piglets and its mother.
• Draw a picture of another animal that they know is similar to its mother.
• Write an informative paragraph about how young piglets are like, but not exactly like, their parents.

• Tic Tac Tube | Animals and their Babies: Watch this video to see animals and their babies! This video is simple - it shows the parent and the baby name of each animal. Teachers can use this video as a discussion starter for comparing more animals & their babies.
• PBS LearningMedia | Hero Elementary: Hatching a Plan: When an egg hatches and an unfamiliar bird emerges, Sparks’ Crew vows to reunite the young bird with its parents. After some trial and error, they observe similarities and differences between young animals and their parents to find the baby bird’s family.
• PBS LearninigMedia | Hero Elementary: Who Belongs Together: Children observe pictures of animal parents and their offspring. They look for body features that show that the animals are the same kind.