Future Creatures CHALLENGE

judging in progress
Challenge Details

YOUR CHALLENGE IS:

DRAW HOW A RAINFOREST ANIMAL MAY ADAPT IN THE FUTURE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Challenge Closed





Your challenge is to pick a vertebrate animal living in a tropical rainforest and draw/illustrate/predict how it may look in the future due to the long-term effects of climate change (think thousands of years ... or more!). Please consider habitat changes due to rising temperatures and rising seas and animal adaptations needed to survive, such as camouflage, defense, eating food, and/or how it moves. Some possible habitat changes to consider are: Inland rainforests that become savannas (rolling grasslands with scattered trees & shrubs), inland rainforests that become mixed woodlands (low-density forest with shrubs & trees), or coastal rainforests that become marshes/seasonal wetlands or become completely underwater. Your entry should provide at least two illustrations - one of your animal in its present habitat and one as an adapted animal in the predicted future habitat. Also, submit a short essay (max 150 words) to explain your illustrations. You are not allowed to choose humans as your animal.
Please do NOT include your face or name in your entry.
Go wild... and good luck!

 
 

DATES / JUDGING CRITERIA / PRIZES

You have to play by the rules to win.

WHO CAN ENTER

Individual K-12 Students in US public, private, and home schools (including U.S. territories & possessions and schools operated by the U.S. for the children of American personnel overseas). NO team entries allowed! For all eligibility details, please refer to the rules.
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12

JUDGING CRITERIA

Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
 
25
POINTS
Description of Your Present Creature
25
POINTS
Description of Your Future Creature
25
POINTS
Visual Communication of Your Present Creature in its Habitat
25
POINTS
Visual Communication of Your Future Creature in its Habitat
25
POINTS
Description of Your Present Creature
25
POINTS
Description of Your Future Creature
25
POINTS
Visual Communication of Your Present Creature in its Habitat
25
POINTS
Visual Communication of Your Future Creature in its Habitat
25
POINTS
Description of Your Present Creature
25
POINTS
Description of Your Future Creature
25
POINTS
Visual Communication of Your Present Creature in its Habitat
25
POINTS
Visual Communication of Your Future Creature in its Habitat

HOW TO ENTER

Please review the Challenge Rules and Design Guidelines prior to creating your entry.

Challenge Rules Design Guidelines

TEACHERS
Sign up to register your class and manage entries. We now support Google Classroom too!

STUDENTS
Sign up on your own, or use a code to participate with your class.

STUDENT USING GOOGLE CLASSROOM?
Login to Submit

STUDENT & TEACHER SIGN UP
PROGRAM DATES
Challenge Launch
27
September
Entries Close
09
February
Finalists Announced
19
April
Winners Announced
26
April
Challenge Launch
27
September
Entries Close
09
February
Finalists Announced
19
April
Winners Announced
26
April

PRIZES

 

Dive Into The Challenge

Lesson Plan Details and Challenge Tips!

1. Links & Lessons

Learn about Animal Traits

2. Brainstorm & Design

Discover Animal Adaptations
Links & Lessons
Brainstorm & Design
Links & Lessons
>
Links & Lessons
Brainstorm & Design

LEARN ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

All species have variation of traits (characteristics). These lessons, slides, and worksheets teach students how certain physical characteristics get passed on to the next generation and about different vertebrate rainforest animals they may consider for their project.

Videos

Brainstorm & Design

It’s brainstorm time! Select an animal for your challenge, research its present-day anatomical adaptations and brainstorm how it might evolve over time. Dive into the factors that influence the selection of future adaptations. Lastly, sketch illustrations of your creature.
Brainstorming Idea
Defense

Body structures, like spikes, horns, or sharp claws, help protect and defend animals against any creature that threatens them. What kinds of defensive body structures will help your creature look tough? How will your animal use these structures to fight off another animal?

 

Brainstorming Idea
Forage

When an environment changes, finding food can be more challenging. Whether your animal eats veggies or meat, it has specialized structures for obtaining and eating food. What anatomy changes will your creature evolve to help it find food? Will your creature change its diet? If so, why?

Brainstorming Idea
Locomotion

Animals need to be able to get from place to place to find shelter, food, and friends. Depending on where they live, they can develop structures to help them get around. How will your creature’s body change to help it move through this new environment? Will its limbs get longer or shorter? Will it have wings, fins, or a tail? 

Brainstorming Idea
Camouflage

Camouflage is an adaptation that allows animals to blend in with their environment. This is useful when hiding from predators or hunting for food. What physical color or pattern will your creature have? Will it camouflage in its new environment? Why or why not?

Digital Tools

Build & Iterate

FOR THE CLASSROOM

Group Size

Split into 8 teams

Approach

Assign each team a video lesson and have them present what they learned

Material

None

Educator tools

 
 
Recent Entries
View the Full Gallery

LAUNCHING THE INNOVATORS OF TOMORROW

Future Engineers hosts online contests and challenges for K-12 students, including the recent Mars 2020 "Name the Rover" contest. This challenge platform was developed with support from the US Department of Education, and all challenges are free for student/classroom participation.