On Sept. 17, seventh grade students enrolled in Grace Sullivan’s science classes at Ronkonkoma Middle School were visited by representatives of the Department of Environmental Conservation to help enhance their understanding of animal artifacts. 

With a number of supplied animal skulls as their subjects, the students made careful observations and learned how to identify the animals based on specific characteristics of the specimens. The students were able to come to conclusions about the skulls based on calculations of the teeth, neck opening, sagittal crest, snout length and eye orbitals. 

Some of the animals analyzed during the experiment included the red fox, domestic pig, beaver, black bear, raccoon, opossum, squirrel and rabbit.