Australia is famous for its unique and diverse vertebrate animals. This course will provide an introduction to global vertebrate diversity, put Australian vertebrates in an evolutionary context, and consider recent research advances in Australian vertebrate biology through lectures, lab practicals and tutorials. Groups covered will include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Lab practicals will focus on morphological and taxonomic diversity and tutorials and discussions will focus on topical research questions. Research themes will include natural history, ecology, evolution, genetics, behaviour and conservation. The course takes advantage of staff and guest expertise so topics will vary from year to year.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Critically examine the origin and diversification history of vertebrate animals, with a particular focus on Australian vertebrates, through lectures and practicals.
- Critically examine and describe the taxonomic diversity and major patterns of morphological diversity of vertebrate animals, with a particular focus on Australian vertebrates, through lectures and practicals.
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding and appreciation of how detailed natural history knowledge facilitates research through lectures and apply and demonstrate this knowledge in tutorials.
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the diversity of ANU's research on Australian vertebrate animals through lectures and tutorials and apply this knowledge through a group presentation.
Indicative Assessment
Exam 1 on lecture & practical component of course (35%: LO 1-2)Exam 2 on lecture & discussion component of course (35%: LO 3-4)
Group presentation (30%: LO 4)
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Workload
2 Lectures and up to three hours of practical or tutorial work each week.Requisite and Incompatibility
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $3660 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $5160 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9503 | 23 Jul 2018 | 30 Jul 2018 | 31 Aug 2018 | 26 Oct 2018 | In Person | N/A |