Creatures from “Planet “X”: Observation Report

Introduction

There are many different species of crickets, (referred to as creatures from “Planet X” throughout the study). Some of them are recognizable from previous observation, and others are newly observed in the present observation. It is important that these creatures are categorized to link those that are kin to them on the planet. There are many ways that biologists are able to classify and categorize different creatures in different species groups. There are countless studies that offer the most effective methodology in categorizing species. In order to determine if these creatures from “Planet X” are of the same species, gender, length, mass, and whether or not they maintain consistent behavioral patterns, observation is the best method. Once these creatures are fully observed for a given length of time, certain interpretations can be made to explain their sense of self and nature. Questions about the possibility of individual differences can be made after further quantitative observations are made. These differences relate to mass and length, sex, gender, species, etc. The following is a report on the study conducted on the creatures from “Planet X,” the methods, and the results of the observations made.

Purpose

The purpose of this experiment is to acquire quantitative details to determine as to whether or not sex, i.e. male or female, has an impact on the size, i.e. mass (mg) and length (mm) of these creatures taken from “Planet X.” This information will be used in later studies, to help better identify which sex being is observed, and understand certain characteristics and habits that one sex has as opposed to the other. This information can also be used to see what type of social habits and practices these creatures may have as it relates to size and sex.

Methods

Before going into the specifics of the methods, it is important to discuss the instruments used during the laboratory observation. The instruments used during this observation are a cage, to hold the creatures; a removal tube to transport the creatures; a “measured cage” to separate the creatures that have been measured; a scale to weigh the mass of the creatures; a ruler to measure the length of the creatures; gloves, in order to remove the creatures; and the creatures themselves.

Before any anthropological analysis and tests are done on the subjects (the creatures), everything has to be measured and weighed to ensure that the reading will be accurate. In order for the quantitative data as it relates to the mass of the creature to be correctly recorded, the scientist first weighs the removal tube. The mass of this instrument will be considered when obtaining the mass of the creature as the creature will be weighed in the removal tube. The gloves must be worn so as to not contaminate the test area with any outside bacteria, etc. Once gloves are put on, the creature is removed from the holding cage and placed in the removal tube. The different sexes will be chosen separately. The female is chosen first to be weighed. The way that the female is determined from the male creature is based on the bottom end of the creatures, specifically by the number and length of their antennas. The scientists then take out a few female creatures and measures the length of the creatures in the removal tube using the ruler. Then, with the creature still in the tube, the scientists will weigh the mass of the creature. After the scientists perform the observation and record the data found, the creature is released into the third cage, the “measured cage” in order, to prevent duplicate data. This same procedure is repeated four more times, all using female subjects. This is to ensure the reliability of the data that is collected and recorded. After the female data (for five female creatures) is recorded, the scientists will follow the same steps, only this time using specifically male creatures. The male creatures will be chosen based on physical characteristics, as was with the female creatures. Once the data for the five male creatures and the five female creatures are recorded, the scientists will make further observations, the data can be interpreted and the results can be reported on about the differences among the genders of the creatures.

Results

The results that are reported in this section are the findings of the study and can also be seen in the histograms found in Figures 1-4. First, at this point, it is important to mention that at first glance of these creatures, it is difficult for the untrained eye to determine the sex between the creatures. This is because they all have very similar features. In addition, these creatures all seem to cohabitate in very close communities, and that there is a sense of dependency on each other for survival. Watching the creatures in the cage prior to any intervention by the scientists, the creature seems to share everything, there did not seem at first glance to be any disputes over the food that had been provided them. Survival seems to be a shared goal among the creatures. In addition to the communal living of these species, it is also hard to determine which gender was responsible for childbearing, but it is assumed by the findings of the study that this obligation was the responsibility of the female creature of the species. Every conclusion made in the report is based on the observation and takes into account the closed setting of the laboratory as opposed to these creatures in their natural habitat.

The results show that female creatures, when pregnant, are larger than the males. However, typically the males are longer than the females. Based on the data it appears that there are many pregnant creatures because many of the females are bigger in mass than the males. The mean, as it relates to length, is calculated by adding the numbers of the length, and then dividing this number by the number of entries. In this instance, it is 5, as in 5 samples. The mean for the mass (mg) of the female creatures is 26.6 mg. The mean data for the mass of the male creatures is calculated as 23 mg. The median is obtained by placing the measurements in numerical order and choosing the middle measurement. The median for the female creatures as it relates to mass is 26mg, and the median as it relates to mass for the male creatures is 25 mg. There is also a standard error for the females at 1.46969384567 while the standard deviation is calculated at 3.28633534503. The standard error calculated for the male creatures is at 1.22474487139 and the standard deviation is calculated to be 2.73861278753.

The same calculations are also done as it relates to the length of the creatures in consideration to their genders. The findings on length report something different than relate to mass. This is to be reported on in detail in the discussion section of this report. For the female creatures as it relates to length, the mean is 476. The mean as it relates to males is 310. The median for females is 4440, and the median for the male creatures is 310. As reported on with the weight, the different genders of this species of this creature also report a very different standard error and standard deviation. For the female creature, the standard error is 68.1615727518 and the standard deviation is 152.413910126. For the male creature, the standard error is 24.0831891576 and the standard deviation is 53.8516480713. This data presents a significant difference in the physical make-up of the female gender of this creature vs. the male gender. There are several possible hypotheses that could come from these differences and some are expounded in the discussion section of this report.

Discussion

The observation of the different sexes of this creature from “Planet X” yields some pretty fascinating but conclusive results. The first is that the female of the species is, in fact, bigger in both length and mass than their male counterparts of the species. This is not that abnormal in different species, but it is the case with these. This could be for several reasons; one being that the female carries the offspring, and has to be bigger in mass and length to meet such an obligation. However, this is just a hypothesis, as there are species where the males are the offspring carrier. In order to get a definitive conclusion, more observations would have to be made on more than just 5 creatures of either gender. Another aspect of the female creature is that this creature ranges drastically in size, unlike the males which have little variation in length and mass. Once again this may be attributed to the need to carry offspring, but there would need to be additional observations made to prove or disprove this hypothesis. The study also does not take into consideration the presence of a possible neutral gender in this species of this creature, a further and more detailed observation might reveal such a different aborigine from what has been discovered here.

Conclusion

The observation of these creatures from “Planet X” gives a deeper insight into the physical form of these creatures based on their gender or sexes. This information is useful and can work as a foundation for further research on these particular creatures. First, knowing the typical mass and length of the respective genders, makes it easier for scientists doing additional research to know which particular gender they are dealing with. Knowing that the female of the species is larger suggests additional research to understand why. In addition, the fact that the female of the species ranges so variedly in size may also present itself as a future research question. Additional research on the subjects may also open the door for research on social relations based on gender that is present among the creatures. The observations, and the results found in this report, open the door for continual research of the subject matter.

(Figures 1-4 omitted for preview. Available via download)