Understanding Wolf Behavior Project

Ask questions about projects relating to: biology, biochemistry, genomics, microbiology, molecular biology, pharmacology/toxicology, zoology, human behavior, archeology, anthropology, political science, sociology, geology, environmental science, oceanography, seismology, weather, or atmosphere.

Moderators: AmyCowen, kgudger, bfinio, MadelineB, Moderators

Post Reply
Holtfamilycircus
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2022 9:22 am
Occupation: Parent

Understanding Wolf Behavior Project

Post by Holtfamilycircus »

Hello,
I think I want to do this project for science fair. I am not sure how to isolate the variable to make this a good experiment using the scientific method. My hypothesis is wolves territory expands during the winter months because of lack of food. Do you have any feedback on this or should I choose a different experiment?
Thank you,
Caris

[Administrator added - link to project: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ing-wolves ]
koneill18
Expert
Posts: 188
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:22 am
Occupation: Other Adult

Re: Understanding Wolf Behavior Project

Post by koneill18 »

Hello!

This sounds like a really interesting project! It's a bit different from a typical science project in that you can't directly change variables to test your hypothesis. Instead, you're analyzing the data and then coming up with a hypothesis to explain the trends that you're seeing in the data. So if you analyze the data and find that the wolves' territory expands during winter months, you can hypothesize that this is due to lack of food. You could also try to test your hypothesis by analyzing data from a different pack of wolves and seeing if the trends hold up. Scientists do this all the time, so I don't see anything wrong with doing this type of experiment, as long as it is in line with the rules and guidelines for your specific science fair.

Let us know if you have more questions!
Post Reply

Return to “Grades 6-8: Life, Earth, and Social Sciences”