Challenge: Design a Martian

Martias Tharsis Insectus

Presented by Mrs. Anderson's 7th & 8th Grade Class in Funk, NE

Celeste, Sarah, Elizabeth, Angela, Jayme, Shawn, Austin, Haley, and Brock

The words martias and insectus came from Latin. Martias means Martian and Insectus means insect. Tharsis is the name of the first volcano on mars that they were found on. We chose the word insect in Latin because our insect is about the size of a flea.

Digestive System
The digestive system works like a plant's photosynthesis. After the Martian takes in the light energy it transfers it into chemical energy. He sends the food up through his mouth and chews it into tiny pieces. Then it goes down through the esophagus and into a jelly like substance in the lining of the stomach. Which is where it will be stored for several weeks. He has 2 stomachs, one is to store the food for photosynthesis and the other is for the iron the he eats which is his energy when he can't get enough light energy. In his stomachs you can see some parts that are noticeably darker; this is where some of his food is stored at. This little Martian can go for a very long time without food because of these dark spots. In fact he only has to eat three times a month or actually take in light energy.

Circulatory System
The powerhouse of the circulatory system is obviously the heart. The difference between this Martian's circulatory system and ours is that the Martian has a poisonous juice made of stinging cells like a jellyfish. An amazing thing about this Martian is that it can hardly ever get sick. It has pretty much two sets of veins. If a disease infects on set of the veins it can just switch off to the other set and use those while its immune system fights off the disease in the other set.

Nervous System
In its nervous system his nerves are extremely sensitive. These nerves are powered by the Martian's brain which is located right behind the eye. The brain is referred to as the king or master of the nerves. The nerves allow him to see, hear, feel, smell and taste.

Reproductive System
The Martian has a lifespan of two years so obviously it lays eggs soon. In each batch of eggs there are about 100 and only half of them hatch on account of storms, cold and eruptions. Normally the female Martian dies after her first batch of eggs. The male normally dies from old age.

Skeletal System
Has 81 bones total. It helps it to support its body.

Miscellaneous
Another very important thing in this body is of course its ability to breathe. Well much like the carbonate globules that live in the ocean it doesn't need oxygen at all. The Martian takes in nitrogen which it can then convert into Methane gas and studies show that about 3% of Mars's atmosphere is nitrogen. On its hands it has heated suction cups which it can use when it digs underground and finds ice deposits it sucks the ice to its hands, melts it then drinks it and stores it in water sacks that are contained next to the stomach. It also has strong heated pads on the bottom of its feet; all the heating pads on its body are run by nitrogen. It has a turtle type shell for protecting its eye. Its communication skills are by actions. Most of the time it lives in volcanoes in dark places. The heat from the volcanoes keeps it warm so the harsh temperatures of Mars will not kill it. The Martian never has gotten higher than an inch off the ground because about two feet off the surface of Mars the temperatures are unbearable.

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