Classification Lab

You will be presented with a container of hardware items, which will represent fossil organisms
uncovered in the Detroit, Michigan area. Your job is to make observations about the
morphology (physical form) of these fossils and determine their relatedness.

Identify each item in the collection by common name. Record a detailed physical description of
as many characteristics as possible. Then, make up a super-cool Latin-sounding scientific name.
Scientific names are expressed as “Capitalized genus-space-lowercase species”, and italicized.
You may need to add rows to the table below, depending on how many items are in your
collection.

Common Name Physical Description Scientific Name

micro nail Linear form, bright shiny metallic appearance, small Pointus minimus
enlarged head, pointy end, 2.5 cm long

small nail linear, darker rustic, enlarged head, 4cm Pointus manimus

good linear, shiny, enlarged head, 4cm pointus

personality nail personalitus

larger nail linear, darker rustic, enlarged head, 7.5 cm pointus bigumus

small screw shiny, textured, x on enlarged head, 2 cm texturus pointus

large screw shiny, textured, flat on enlarged head, 4cm texturus pointus

small bolt shiny, hexagonal shape, textured inside, hole in hexagus

stomach holeinmeus

large bolt shiny, hexagonal shape, texture inside, hole in hexagus boltus
stomach

washer shiny, rust spot, hole in middle, circle circulus

womaninus

lock washer shiny, skinny, hole in stomach, circle circulus brokimus

Cable staple rustic look, rectangular shape, missing side, even sides, Cabulus
pointy holdownus

rubber cable shiny, rubber on top, rectangular shape, missing side, cabulus
staple even sides, pointy. holddownwithrub
us
Once all items have been identified, described, and named, construct a cladogram, or
phylogenetic tree, showing your best guess as to the evolutionary relationships among your
‘fossils’. At each branch point, you’ll label the derived characteristics that differentiate each
branch.
Use a blank sheet of paper, and construct your labeled cladogram. At the top of each branch,
place the fossil and label it with its scientific name. Take a picture and submit it with your table
above.