Standard 12

1. Standard 12 By: Austin & Richard

2. Mimicry • Mimicry is when a weaker animal copies a stronger animal’s characteristics to warn off predators. Some animals who commonly use mimicry include snakes, beetles, flies, caterpillars, bees, sea slugs, and countless others. Can you tell which snake is the mimic? The scarlet king snake is mimicking the venomous coral snake.

3. Camouflage Camouflage is a method of hiding one’s self by making itself appear as part of its natural surroundings. Many animals use this to hide themselves from predators, and as a way of hunting. Some animals naturally blend in to their environment, and some can change what they look like to blend in to their surroundings.

4. Migration • Migration is the process of changing location from time to time, especially by moving from season to season from one region to another. Animals migrate due to climate changes, food supply, and for purposes of reproduction. Migration usually involves moving from one area to another then back again. Some species such as the Pacific Salmon are born in streams, travel to the ocean, and then return to the stream where they were born to reproduce before dying. Even some microorganisms migrate in lakes. Migration is involved with a wide range of animal types.

5. Hibernation • Hibernation is a time where animals sleep through cold weather seasons. This is a sleep like no other. Loud noises can not wake the animal, neither would touching it. Animals that hibernate include badgers, bats, squirrels, hamsters, hedgehogs, prairie dogs, raccoons, skunks, and bears. In the fall, the hibernating animals eat much more than normal to gain fat because when animals hibernate, their bodies live off the fat. Hibernating animals create Winter nests, dens, or burrows to hold in heat during the hibernating season.

6. Beak Types • Beak Types vary in size, shape, and color. The uses of these beaks vary as well. Beaks are very similar to fingernails, because they are constantly growing. Strong hooked beaks are common on raptors (predator birds, who’s beaks are usually curved and strong for an aggressive style of hunting). These beaks are great for eating fish. An eagle is an example of a raptor. A heron is a bird commonly found near water and has a dagger-like beak for impaling fish and frogs. Humming birds have long skinny beaks for sucking out the nectar in flowers. Birds like cardinals have cone-shaped beaks used for cracking seeds and nuts. Birds like snipes have very long beaks to search for food in water or mud. Woodpeckers’ beaks resemble a chisel, which helps them find bugs inside of trees. Birds like sapsuckers have beaks that work like drills to eat sap and bugs inside of trees.

7. Questions...

8. Question 1 • Which example BEST describes mimicry? • A) moving to a new location to obtain food • B) appearing to look like a different animal • C) catching prey with sharp teeth • D) keeping warm with thick fur

9. Answer • B) appearing to look like a different animal • That is the definition of mimicry

10. Question 2 Animals hibernate for many reasons. What is one reason animals would NOT hibernate? • A) to conserve energy • B) to avoid harsh climate conditions • C) to locate prey • D) to survive when food is hard to find

11. Answer • C) to locate prey • You can’t find prey while you’re sleeping

12. Question 3 • Which statement describes how some animals may adapt to a climate change? • A) urbanization causes some birds to mimic other birds • B) deforestation causes some birds to change their beak shape • C) natural disasters cause some mammals to hibernate • D) seasons cause some animals to migrate

13. Answer • D) seasons cause some animals to migrate • Many animals migrate due to the quick change of a climate.

14. Question 4 • The hoverfly and the wasp have similar coloration and physical characteristics. However, only the wasp can defend itself by stinging potential predators. Which type of protective adaptation is demonstrated by the hoverfly? • A) stinger • B) mimicry • C) camouflage • D) counter shading

15. Answer • B) Mimicry • The hover fly looks similar to a wasp, but can’t sting.

16. Question 5 • Which statement describes an organism’s camouflage adaptation? • A) A chameleon changes its body coloring to blend into its environment. • B) an elk has a four-chambered stomach to help digest the foods it eats. • C) a shark has a light-colored belly and a darker top side to camouflage it in its habitat. • D) a trumpeter swan has a sharp beak so it can dig for roots underwater.

17. Answer • A) A chameleon changes its body coloring to blend into its environment. • That’s their way of camouflaging.

18. Question 6 • Study the picture. For which activity is this bird’s beak best adapted? • A) tearing flesh • B) spearing fish • C) sipping nectar • D) chiseling wood

19. Answer • C) sipping nectar • Hummingbirds feed on nectar

20. Question 7 • A walking stick is an insect that resembles a stick or branch of a plant. What is the BEST description of this protective adaptation? • A) the walking stick is attracting a mate • B) the walking stick is searching for food. • C) the walking stick is camouflaging itself from predators. • D) the walking stick is camouflaging itself from predators.

21. Answer • D) the walking stick is camouflaging itself from predators. • Walking sticks resemble sticks, which is camouflage

22. Question 8 • Some species of lizards change their body colors to resemble their environment, inflate their bodies or throats, or secrete substances to mark territories. Which of these protective strategies is NOT an adaptation of the lizard? • A) migration • B) camouflage • C) physical change • D) chemical defense

23. Answer • A) migration • Lizards can’t travel far enough to call it “migration”

24. Question 9 • What type of birds have sharp, curved beaks for an aggressive style of hunting? • A) looms • B) raptors • C) ducks • D) grebes

25. Answer • B) raptor • The raptor family has sharp, curved, beaks.

26. Question 10 • Many animals use mimicry to keep themselves safe from predators. Which animal is a common mimicker? • A) The Eastern Coral Snake • B) The Scarlet King Snake • C) The Great White Shark • D) The Pygmy Rattlesnake

27. Answer • B) The Scarlet King Snake • The scarlet king snake is a common mimicker of the coral snake.

28. Question 11 • Why do animals eat so much before they hibernate? • A) They live off the fat that the food stores • B) The carbohydrates in the food make them feel sleepy • C) The food remains in the stomach, so it never goes hungry while it sleeps. • D) The animal will more than likely miss eating, so it eats as much as it can

29. Answer • A) They live off the fat the food stores • Fat gives the animal something to live off of while it sleeps

30. Question 12 • Why would an animal need camouflage? • A) as an aid for hunting, and too hide from predators • B) to hide from mates during the mating season • C) to give hunters a hard time • D) to make hide and seek more difficult with fellow animals from the environment.

31. Answer • A) as an aid for hunting, and too hide from predators • Camouflage helps an animal hide and hunt

32. Question 13 • What is a beak similar to on a human? • A) the brain • B) the digestive system • C) a fingernail • D) the legs

33. Answer • C) a fingernail • The beak constantly grows, just like a fingernail.

34. Question 14 • Which common house-hold room is a name for a shelter of hibernation? • A) foyer • B) living room • C) kitchen • D) den

35. Answer • D) den • Many animals sleep in “dens” while they hibernate.

36. Question 15 • What type of bird would use its curved beak to hunt for mammals on the ground? • A) cardinal • B) humming bird • C) eagle • D) pelican

37. Answer • C) eagle • Eagles are common hunters of small land mammals.