Activity Overview
From Shore to Sea: Pinnipeds are marine mammals that spend a great deal of time in the water. Like all marine mammals, pinnipeds breathe air through their lungs. In order to breathe, they must come up to the surface for air.
Before the Activity
See the attached teacher document (pdf file) for notes and guidelines for this activity.
Print and copy the attached activity document and research article (pdf files) for your class. The research article is in the during the activity section below.
During the Activity
Students will:
Compare their breathing pattern to the breathing patterns of California sea lions and northern elephant seals
Examine diving graphs of pinnipeds that show how deep they dive and how long they can stay underwater
Use a respiration monitor belt and gas pressure sensor connected to a TI CBL 2™
or Vernier LabPro and a TI-73 Explorer™
and simulate the pinniped's breathing pattern
Directions
Distribute the activity document and research article to your class
Read and discuss the research article
Follow the activity procedures outlined in the student document
After the Activity
Students complete the data analysis section of the activity
Discuss the results of the data analysis with your students