Your Inner Reptile

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Level

High School — General High School — AP/IB

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Description

This film explores what our hair, teeth, and hearing reveal about our evolution from ancient reptilian ancestors.

A key moment in human evolutionary history occurred 200 million years ago, when the ferocious, reptile-like animals that roamed Earth were evolving into shrew-like mammals. But our reptilian ancestors left their mark on many parts of the human body, including our skin, teeth, and ears.

This film is the second episode in Your Inner Fish, a series that originally aired on PBS and is hosted by anatomist and paleontologist Neil Shubin. Shubin journeys to meet our ancient animal ancestors while revealing the impact those animals have had on our bodies. Due to international distribution restrictions, the series can be streamed only in the United States and Canada.

Key Terms

amnion, bearded dragon, canine, dinosaur, ear bone, EDA gene, egg, evolutionary transition, gorgonopsid, Thrinaxodon

Primary Literature

Shubin, Neil. Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-billion-year History of the Human Body. New York: Vintage Books, 2009.

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Version History

Date Published 06.30.15

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS1.A, HS-LS1.B, HS-LS3.A, HS-LS3.B, HS-LS4.A, HS-LS4.C

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-1, EVO-3

IB Biology (2016)

5.1, 5.3, 10.3

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 2.6

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.1

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1, CC2

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Your Inner Fish and Origin of Tetrapods

Chi Klein describes how she uses both the "Your Inner Fish" film series and the "Origin of Tetrapods" short film in her classroom. These films are accompanied by a wealth of additional educational materials about the evolutionary origins of the anatomical features found in animals today.

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