Born in the Abyss | Larval Biology Basics | Larval Game | Behind-the-Scenes Videos | Larval Art | For Educators

Larval Quest Activity

How to Play

Today, you are a marine biologist exploring the ocean to find larvae. During your larval quest, you will encounter the unique body forms of larvae and learn about their life before they appear as the animals you may know and love.

At an event location:

    • Hunt for 12 wall tiles of larvae that are hidden throughout the center.
    • Follow the QR code on each wall tile to a webpage to learn more about that larva.
    • Fill out your collection log with the name of the larva, the adult it becomes, and if you can, a fun fact from the website.

Online only:

    • Read through the above Larval Biology Basics.
    • Use the list below to browse through the 12 larval forms.

Larvae to find:

Suggestions for classroom use:

Grade Level Next Generation Science Standards Suggestions for Instructors
K-4th
  1. As a class, introduce students to metamorphosis from the Larval Biology Basics section of the Born in the Abyss website. 
  2. Complete Larval Quest as a class without QR codes, using the black&white printable version of the wall tiles. (Hide larvae at eye-level in viewable places around the classroom.)
  3. As a class, provide guided exploration of larval pages from the website, stopping after viewing the video for each larva.
  4. Encourage students to draw larvae as their fun facts on their collection log.
4th-8th
  1. Introduce students to metamorphosis from the Larval Basics section of this website.
  2. Complete Larval Quest as a class using black&white (easier) or photo versions (challenging) of wall tiles. (Hide larvae at or below eye-level,)
  3. Provide a link to students and allow time for independent exploration of larval pages from the website without the use of QR codes.
  4. Encourage students to make an observation on behavior, movement, or anatomy from each video and write them as their fun facts on their collection log.
9-12th
  1. Provide students with a link to the Larval Basics page on this website and allow time for independent exploration of background information on metamorphosis, feeding strategies, and larval diversity.
  2. Complete Larval Quest as a class with QR codes, using the photo quality print-out of the wall tiles. (Hide larvae in challenging places, even behind objects in the classroom.)
  3. Allow time for independent exploration of each larval page from the website, including life cycle diagrams and life history facts at the bottom of each page.
  4. Encourage students to find fun facts for their collection log from the life cycle diagrams and life history facts at the bottom of each page.

 

Project Team

Movie produced by The Stephen Low Company

Website and content development by Nadia Stoker, Caitlin Plowman, and Trish Mace
Oregon Institute of Marine Biology & Charleston Marine Life Center, University of Oregon

The film is partially funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (award #2215692). 

All Larval Quest materials are licensed under creative commons license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.