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Try It Yourself
What did the kittens’ parents look like?
Sometimes it is possible to trace the traits of the parents by looking at the off-
spring. What if you could make your own “paper pet” and give it some unique and
wacky traits. What would its parents have looked like?
Materials:
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Stickers of various shapes, sizes, and colors
• Markers, colored pencils
1. Decide on four unique traits you want your “pet” to have. Will it have long legs
or short legs? Curly fur or long fur? Pointed ears or rounded ears? List the traits that
you will highlight in your pet.
2. Indicate on the list whether or not the specific trait is dominant or recessive.
3. Create your pet using the materials available.
4. Draw Punnett squares for at least two of the traits your pet has—one recessive
and one dominant. What traits did its parents have? What alleles made up those
traits? Remember, traits come from the parents equally.