Rabbits a puzzle for year 10 students

Associate Professor Carolyn King with Pukekohe High School year 10 students Michael Gutierrez, Katherine Martin and Rebeckah Dell discussing what goes where as they reassemble a rabbit skeleton.

5 November 2013

Rabbits a puzzle for year 10 students

For 31 year 10 Pukekohe High School students, it was no ordinary race.

Divided into groups and turned loose in a University of Waikato lab, the students were quick to find out if the hip bone was actually connected to the thigh bone as they raced to assemble more than 200 rabbit bones into a skeleton as the clock was ticking.

This was one of seven interactive activities year 10 students took part in at the University of Waikato’s “Experience Waikato Day” on 5 November.

Before the rabbit race began, Biological Sciences Associate Professor Carolyn King gave a short talk on the similarities between the skeletons of vertebrates, and was on-hand to give advice throughout the exercise.

The winning group was made up Francesca Cox, Sam Fausett and Josie Eason.

“It was pretty hard,” says Josie, “but it was lots of fun and it was good to see if we could actually do it.”

About 200 students from seven schools – Pukekohe High School, Manurewa High School, Tauranga Girls’ College, Tauranga Boys’ College, John Paul College, Papamoa College and Matamata College – attended the Experience Waikato Day. Students also attended mini lectures and a presentation on psychology.

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