We were supposed to pick an animal to observe for a period of two months I picked a sea otter and the webcam link is this one: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams/sea-otter-cam
here is the rubric we did not work in groups it was individually:
Rubric for Animal Cam Assignment 30pts
Introduction
1. Descriiption of location and species present + map = 3pts (identify up to 3 species)
2. Descriiption (mini-natural histories) of species present + photo = 3pts
Methods
3. Data collection = describe how your group divided up the observation time. 1pt
a. Time per week = 1 hour minimum
b. # of days = minimum 2 days
c. Intervals per day = try to get different times during the day, ie. Evening, morning,
etc.
4. Behaviors – establish what behaviors you might see and record these in your
spreadsheet. (Columns?)
a. Feeding
b. Singing
c. Grooming
d. Fighting
e. Mating
f. Moving
g. Other
Describe what behaviors you were looking for and why did you choose those? = 4pts
5. Record the time spent by the animal(s) in each behavior, or the number of occurrences
of each behavior in time period observed, whichever seems appropriate
6. Create a daily log with notes on day, time, # animals present, species differences,
interactions occurring, etc. Describe what you see, just like a naturalist might do. = 6pts
Interpretation
7. List daily differences in the recorded behaviors. Morning, afternoon, evening, middle of
night? Changes over the weeks? = 3pts
8. Value of project
a. Describe the value of an observational project in relation to the species you saw and their interactions. How could this be used to inform us about conservation
efforts concerning these species (endangered species, threatened species,
habitat usage, do you see competition, what about invasive species, etc.?)=10pts
9. How did your group divide up the work? (How did each group member contribute to the
overall project?) If someone in your group does not participate fully, please let your TA
know by email?
