1

Name___________________________ Directions: Answer the following questions using the information provided. Show your work. If additional space is needed, please attach a separate piece of paper and correctly identify the problem it correlates to. If you are creating a table or graph, be sure to include titles and labels.

1) Imagine that you are a zoo keeper that has just received the above chart on animal speeds. You are asked to create a graph illustrating these different speeds so that zoo visitors can easily compare different animals. Use the grid below to show your work. For speeds with decimals, round to the nearest whole number.

2) Gibbons live high up in the trees. They move through the tropical forest by using their hands to swing from branch to branch. This kind of movement is called brachiation. They move at about the same speed as a human can walk. a) How fast can gibbons brachiate? (Use the speed chart at the top of the page.) ____________________

b) Which animal is twice as fast as the gibbon? _____________________________________________

c) The bison is about how many times faster than the gibbon? __________________________________

animal speedsGrades 3–4

Animal Bison Camel MooseHuman Walking

Human Sprinting

Komodo Dragon Pronghorn Sloth

10mph20mph30mph40mph50mph60mph

Bison 35 mphHuman Walking

3 mph

Camel 2.4 mphKomodo Dragon

8 mph

Moose 35 mph Pronghorn 60 mph

Human Sprinting

23 mph Sloth 1.25 mph

Speeds of Various Animals

2

Name___________________________

3) A sea star moves about 6 inches a minutes. Complete the following table.

4) The Malayan tapir’s gestation period (amount of time it takes baby to develop) is 13 months. The incubation time (time for eggs to hatch) of the Asian forest tortoise eggs is 60-62 days (about 2 months). The tapir takes about how many times longer to develop than the tortoise. Write your answer as both a mixed number and a decimal.

5) Bactrian camels can replace moisture in their bodies quickly by drinking up to 35 gallons of water in ten minutes.

a) About how much water can it drink in one minute? _________________________________________

b) If you were the zoo keeper and all five of your camels were “on empty” and were going to “refill” for 10 minutes each, how many gallons of water would you need to have available? ______________________

6 inches in 10 minutes inches a minute

feet an hour inches an hour

animal speedsGrades 3–4