Name ______Period ______Date ______
Wacky Creatures Dichotomous Key
Dichotomous keys are used to identify organisms that have already been named by other scientists. As its name implies, (di—means “two”), a dichotomous key is made up of paired statements. Each pair of statements divides the objects to be classified into two categories. This means that each object must fit into one category or the other, but not both. As you proceed from step to step, the classification is narrowed down until all the creatures are identified.
A dichotomous key gives instructions in pairs of statements. With each character, start with the first pair of statements. Decide which description describes your chosen character best and follow the line to the right. There will be either be a number or a name. If it is a number, go to the pair of steps with that number, for example, if the number is 3, go to steps 3a and 3b. If the line ends in a name, you have identified your character, so write it down by the creature. Continue until each creacture has a name. There is only one creature per name, and no creature has two names.
Wacky Creatures Key
1a. Two feet. ______2
1b. Some other number of feet.______3
2a. Does not look at all human. ______4
2b. Looks a lot like a human. ______5
3a. One leg.______6
3b. Three or four legs.______7
4a. Fly-like.______Mosk Cara
4b. Not fly-like.______8
5a. Seems to be a girl.______.Rita Nita
5b. Not a girl.______9
6a. Leg is curled, three feet.______Ru-ela Brella
6b. Leg is straight, one foot.______Giggles
7a. Three legs.______10
7b. Four legs.______11
8a. Has webbed feet.______Hex Oculate
8b. Has clawed feet.______12
9a. Curly hair, no toes.______Lugio Wirum
9b. Wiggly mouth, three toes on the feet._____C. Nile
10a. Very long nose, open mouth.______Elle E. Funk
10b. Some other appearance.______13
11a. Has duck bill, two pinchers.______Tri D. Duckt
11b. No arms or pinchers.______14
12a. Has ears, tail, and beak.______Grif Leon
12b. Four eyes on stalks.______Eggur Ondy
13a. One eye, webbed feet.______Cue Kide
13b. Four stalked eyes, four pinchers.__Quadrumenox
14a. Three toed feet, nose like a flower._Tunia petalos
14b. Spider-like, has spots.___Patterned mulywumpus
Wacky Creatures Dichotomous Key
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.
Hello! My name is ______.