Things Are Seldom What They Seem…

1. Things Are Seldom What They Seem… Mimicry and Camouflage in Nature S04-S4-C4-PO 2: Give examples of adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive. ｷcamouflage – horned lizards, coyotes ｷmimicry – Monarch and Viceroy butterflies ｷphysical – cactus spines ｷmutualism – species of acacia that harbor ants, which repel other harmful insects

2. Why Cover Up? • Animals face danger in the wild • Predators are trying to catch animals for food • A spider tries to catch insects in its web, so the spider is a predator of insects • To avoid becoming prey, an animal sometimes needs to hide…

3. Mimicry Helps Animals Hide • Some animals use mimicry to avoid being seen by predators • Mimicry is when an animal adapts to look like another animal in order to deceive a predator • The Viceroy butterfly mimics the characteristics of the Monarch butterfly to avoid its predators Viceroy Butterfly Monarch Butterfly -Images taken from http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarch_butterfly.htm with permission for academic use

4. Which Snake Could Kill You? • One of these snakes is the Scarlet Kingsnake, and it is harmless. • The other is the Coral Snake, and it could kill you. • Images found on : http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webunits/adaptations/snake.html

5. The Scarlet Kingsnake Wants to Scare Predators Away • The snake on the left, the Scarlet Kingsnake, mimics the Coral Snake (on the right) to scare away potential predators. • Images found on : http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webunits/adaptations/snake.html

6. Camouflage: Hide In Your Habitat • Some animals use camouflage to hide themselves from predators or other dangerous things • When an animal is camouflaged, it is hard to tell where the animal is in its environment • Can you see the flounder in the picture? • It’s hard to see the fish because the fish is camouflaged by the rocks. • Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons, which allows for free use of its pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flounder_camo_md.jpg

7. Coloring Helps! • This Horned Lizard uses camouflage to blend in with the environment around it and escape detection from its predators. • How do the colors of the Horned Lizard help it live in its natural habitat: the Southwest region of the United States? • Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons, which allows for free use of its pictures:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Short_Horned_Lizard.jpg

8. Coyotes Can Hide in the Desert • Coyotes can blend right into the desert because their fur is so close in color to the soil and brush of the Southwestern Desert. • What do you notice about the coyote’s fur and the color of the ground? • Why would it help a coyote to blend in with the ground? • Photo taken from Arizona Game and Fish Department: http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/urban_coyote.shtml

9. What about You? • Do humans mimic the behavior of animals and plants? • Do humans use camouflage to hide themselves? • Can you think of any time when you would want to be able to use mimicry or camouflage to help yourself escape a problem?