Download Baby Bunnies

Bunny Babies
Objective:
Students use their knowledge of how traits are inherited to determine the traits for Easter Egg
Bunnies.
Background:
At fertilization the genetic traits of an individual are determined. Fertilization occurs when two
gametes, an egg and a sperm, join together. Each of the cells contributes a set of traits to the
offspring. In this activity you will use coins to represent the egg and sperm. The parents are
heterozygous for each of the possible traits for our bunny baby. You will flip the coins to
determine which trait your bunny baby will inherit. You will then build a model of your bunny
baby.
Plastic Glue
Construction Glue
paper
sticks
Materials: egg gun
Two
Sharpie
Scissors
coins
Marker
Colored
Pencils
White Paper
Procedure:
1. Decide which coin will represent the Female gamete and which coin will represent the
Male gamete.
2. For each of the following traits, flip each coin one time. Record "H" for heads and "h" for
tails. This will determine the genotype of your Bunny Baby.
3. Obtain a Trait Sheet from your teacher. Record the Phenotype for each of the traits on
your Trait Sheet.
4. Use your phenotypes to put together the model of your Bunny Baby. (Alternative: Draw
your baby bunny with colored pencils)
Record your Bunny Baby genotype and phenotype on this chart.
Trait
Head
Shape
Ear
Color
Ear
Shape
Ear Size
Eye
Color
Nose
Shape
Mouth
Shape
Whiskers
Sex
(only flip
male
coin)
Female
Male
Phenotype
Bunny Baby Phenotypes
Trait
Head
Shape
Ear
Color
HH
Hh
hh
Pointed
Pointed
Pointed
end of egg end of egg end of egg
down
down
up
Green
Red
Yellow
Ear
Shape
Ears
pointed at
the top
Ears
pointed at
the top
Ears
rounded at
the top
Ear Size
Long(5
cm or
more)
Medium
Short (less
(more
than 3 cm)
than 3 and
less than 5
cm)
Brown
Blue
Pink
Nose
Shape
Upside
down
triangle
Upside
down
triangle
oval on
side
Mouth
Shape
Smile
Smile
Frown
Whiskers Straight
Straight
curly
Sex
Male,
Bow Tie
Eye
Color
Female,
Hair Bow
Conclusion Questions:
1. Which of the traits are results of dominant and recessive genes?
2. Which of the traits are results of incomplete dominance?
3. Use the class results and determine the ratio of male to female babies.
4. Did our class results show the predicted outcome from a Punnett Square? Explain why or
why not.
5. Use the class results and determine the ratio of pointed ears to rounded ears.
6. Did our results show the predicted outcome from a Punnett Square? Explain why or why
not.