Grey Seal

In our STEAM Unit, Population, we learned several things about set theory and taxonomy mainly, as well as a handful of other science and math concepts, with the main focus being on the first two. We also went to the Lincoln Park Zoo on a FE, to choose an organism to read up on for this AP.

Grey Seals, or Halichoerus grypus, are usually found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It’s also known as the Atlantic seal or Horsehead seal. Males seldom live past 25, because of the constant fighting between males, but the females can live up to 35 years. They usually live along rocky coasts, and aren’t very sociable with each other, despite living together in large colonies and gathering together in large groups. They instead keep a distance between one another. They eat a wide variety of fish, but will also eat whatever’s available, such as octopus and lobster. However, they may also prey upon larger targets, such as harbor seals and harbor porpoises.

The table below shows the full taxonomic record of the Grey seal. This shows all the things that make a Grey Seal a Grey Seal.
Taxonomic Level
Your organism’s group
Key characteristics of group
Kingdom
Animalia
Multi-celled Heterotroph
Phylum
Chordata
Has a spinal cord
Class
Mammalia
Is a mammal (fur, females have breasts, live birth)
Order
Carnivoria
Carnivores
Family
Phocidae
True seals
Genus
Halichoerus
Gray seals
Species
grypus
Halichoerus grypus

Below is a drawing that I did of the Grey Seal, representing all the parts of it that make it a Grey seal, as well as the reference photo that I used to make it.

Grey Seal, WH, 2018
Grey Seals, Unknown, https://moniqueschoutenblog.wordpress.com, 2018

As another part of this project, I collaborated with ALL and NB to make a Venn Diagram comparing our creatures to one another. It shows how they are similar and how they are different from one another in several ways. Below is that Venn Diagram. The statements outside the circle, in the box, represent those which fit none of our animals. 

Venn Diagram, WH, ALL, NB, 2018

Set theory is another concept that we learned during this unit. It allows us to group several things together using mathematical language, using sets that are within one universe.

Grey Seal Є ‘Land Animals
Grey Seals are an element of the opposite of the Land Animals set.

Grey Seal Є Carnivore
Grey Seals are an element of the Carnivores set.

Grey Seal Є Pack Animals
Grey Seals are an element of the Pack Animals set.

Grey Seal Є Sea Mammals
Grey Seals are an element of the Sea Mammals set.

Grey Seal ⋂ Fennec Fox = {Carnivores, Mammals}
The Grey Seal and Fennec Fox intersect each other because they are both elements of the Mammal and Carnivore Set.

In conclusion, I learned a good bit about how to use set theory properly through this AP, and how to apply it to creatures. I also learned about the taxonomy of creatures, and how it applies to them, as well as more about the Grey seal itself.

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