Zoo SAC

[ellie7g]

Has anyone done the Melb Zoo SAC? Or is going to be doing it?
If so- do you have any tips of how to go about the sac at the zoo and how to study for it?
Thanks in advance!

[Snorlax]

Is this unit 1/2?

[alondouek]

The most important thing (non-academically) is to bring a folder/clipboard that you can hold paper down with. I had half my SAC almost end up in a pond because I didn't do so

That aside, bring some binocular so you can observe primate physiological features in great detail. With some species, certain features (e.g. whether a digit is opposable or not etc) aren't immediately clear by looking at the animal cursorily. If the SAC is similar (or the same) to the one your teacher gave us last year, then make sure you fill in the table properly, as you'll need this in detail for ~90% of the write-up.

Try to be time efficient. We kind of spent too much time just casually looking at animals and were a little rushed towards the end of the SAC. Importantly, know where the necessary enclosures are.

Content-wise, make sure you can draw a phylogenetic tree based on primate phenotypic features. Know what distinguishes primates from each other (e.g. how are chimpanzees different from humans), the difference between hominids and hominins, evolutionary features of humanity (like uprightness and what caused it). Understand why evolutionary features such as opposable thumbs were beneficial etc. etc.

Also, don't forget a Myki. This almost happened to a classmate last year, and your teacher's not going to stick up for you if an inspector's there.

[ellie7g]

The most important thing (non-academically) is to bring a folder/clipboard that you can hold paper down with. I had half my SAC almost end up in a pond because I didn't do so

That aside, bring some binocular so you can observe primate physiological features in great detail. With some species, certain features (e.g. whether a digit is opposable or not etc) aren't immediately clear by looking at the animal cursorily. If the SAC is similar (or the same) to the one your teacher gave us last year, then make sure you fill in the table properly, as you'll need this in detail for ~90% of the write-up.

Try to be time efficient. We kind of spent too much time just casually looking at animals and were a little rushed towards the end of the SAC. Importantly, know where the necessary enclosures are.

Content-wise, make sure you can draw a phylogenetic tree based on primate phenotypic features. Know what distinguishes primates from each other (e.g. how are chimpanzees different from humans), the difference between hominids and hominins, evolutionary features of humanity (like uprightness and what caused it). Understand why evolutionary features such as opposable thumbs were beneficial etc. etc.

Also, don't forget a Myki. This almost happened to a classmate last year, and your teacher's not going to stick up for you if an inspector's there.

hahah thanks Alon!
Yeah I was planning to take binoculars! Thanks for the great advice! We haven't actually started learning the theory yet and the SAC is next Monday so getting a bit nervous but i'm just going to read ahead and see what i can do! Do you think it's worth doing any kind of questions based on the theory for practice?

[alondouek]

No prob!

Are you guys still using Nature of Biology? If so, do the quick-check questions for the relevant theory, and make succinct summary notes. If you think the latter will take too long, just use LMP's theory notes - even without all the filling-in done, it's still a pretty comprehensive resource for what you need to know.

But knowing her, a week is definitely enough for her to teach the material lol

Good luck! Let me know if you have any theory-based questions

[simpak]

Omg is this the equivalent to when I went to Biology Camp.  Yes that existed at my school.