Name ______________________________ Date _________________

Where Do I Get My Spots, My Stripes, My Curly Hair?

When you think of dogs and cats, you may think of sworn enemies. But
did you know that that is not true? Cats and dogs actually
work together in farms. When both breed, they
create offspring (babies! but they do not look
similar because they ha"e different #arents.
$ #u##y will beha"e and look similarly to its
#arent. %f the #arent has curly hair, then
the #u##y will #robably ha"e curly hair. &he
same is true for cats. %f two cats are both
shy, then the kittens will be shy too. %ts
behavior is inherited. Behavior means the
way an organism reacts to its en"ironment.
'a"e you e"er wondered why your eyes were blue or why
your hair was brown? &hese are traits. Traits are what
we see on animals and humans. (ome e)am#les include*
stri#es on a +ebra, brown fur on dogs, eight
legs on a s#ider and many
more,
-any traits are inherited.
Inheritance is a #rocess of
genes #assing from a #arent to
offs#ring. &hat would e)#lain why you ha"e
similar features to your mom or dad,