Nicholas Depina

Section D
November 4th, 2013
CRITTER PROJECT
Over time changes to survive have occurred that resulted in the drastic change in specie
that leads it to become whole new specie. The coral reefs are underwater structures that are filled
with many different fish and coral. The fish that reside in the coral reef usually eat other fish in
the coral reef there is a food chain where smaller fish are eaten by their larger counterparts, and
plants in the ecosystem. In order to survive in the coral reef and organism must be able to live
underwater and to be able to survive (eat) in the coral reef an organism must either eat plant life
or smaller fish in the reef.
Big round eyes, the reasoning for my critters having such big eyes is because my critter is
nocturnal: My critter is only active at nights and uses its big eyes to find prey, see predators, and
mate in the dark. Ancestors of my critter once had both big round eyes and little eyes but over
time the survival rate of my critter with the trait of little eyes were decreasing; because they
weren't fit to survive in their habitat. So as a result the population of my critter with the trait of
big eyes began to increase because of their ability to use their trait to survive. The survival of my
critter with small eyes was becoming very critical so as a result they migrated to the ocean.
While living the ocean they began to develop adaptations that made them fit to live in the ocean;
because of the separation both versions of my critter became different species, if the critters were
reintroduced they wouldn't be able to create fertile offspring.
My critter has many other adaptations the help it survive in the coral reefs. Sharp teeth;
my critter is a carnivore meaning that it eats meat; its sharp teeth allow my critter to cut through
the scales and flesh of smaller organisms in its ecosystem. My critters also have a big strong tail;
this big tail increases the speed of my critters swimming, this speed allows for my critter to get
away from its predators. Another adaptation my critter has is a small stomach; my critters small
stomach allows my critter not to have to look for food constantly; this reduces the chances of my
critter being caught off guard. My critter also has armor; its armor protects my critter from bites
from predators. These adaptations were established over time to help my critter survive in the
coral reef.
My critter Kingdom is animamila, because my critter is a living animal. Its Phylum is
Chordata, because it has a backbone, and an analtail. Its class is Placoderm; my critter has armor
surrounding its face. Its Order is Carnivore, because my critter eats meat. The family my critter
is in is Oxynotidae, rough behavior explains why my critter is a part of the family Oxynotidae.
The genus my critter falls into is Dunkleosteus, this is why my critter is very large. The specie of
my critter is Archache. My critter originated from extinct armored fish species. The specie was
then moved to the coral reef and because of many adaptations made over generations, the
original specie had to make to survive in the reefs the once extinct fish evolved into my critter
and became specie. My critters ancestry line is most related to an extinct fish Placodermi, but
difference in size is the reason for my critter being a Dunkleosteus at the genus level; its attitude
explains another close relationship to sharks at the family level.
Like all other organisms my critter resembles all other forms of life. My critter maintains
Homeostasis, when its cold in the reefs my critter heats up to keep itself warm. My critter like
many other living organisms can adapt to its environment. Changes happen with my critter; my
critter both grows in size on the inside and out, and also cells inside my critter change also. My
critter reproduces sexually with mates and creates offspring like itself. Similar to other living
organisms my critter uses energy for its survival and movement.