Camouflage and Mimicry

Camouflage:  Hide and Seek

Today we learned about how animals use camouflage and mimicry to adapt to their environments and increase their chances of survival. Students took a trip through oceans, forests, and rainforests to learn all about how animals have developed different types of camouflage to better adapt to their habitats.  Students enjoyed finding hidden animals and discussing specific kinds of animals that have developed exceptionally unique types of camouflage.

We also learned about animal mimicry, which occurs when an organism evolves to look like another and we discussed the reasons why this might happen.   Examples of mimicry include a tasty and harmless moth evolving to look like a wasp or a nonvenomous snake evolving to have the same colors as a venomous snake.

We wrapped up our lesson with a fun camouflage hunting game in which student hunters, stranded on a remote island, had to develop hunting techniques to identify and successfully capture their food for survival. The idea was to test the effect of different colored backgrounds on the number of each color bead (camouflaged prey) taken. This camouflage lesson is always a student favorite!

Additional Information:

Want to learn more about camouflage?  Check out this video on the Indonesian Mimic Octopus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8oQBYw6xxc

 

Camuflaje: jugando a las escondidas

En la clase de hoy aprendimos sobre cómo los animales utilizan el camuflaje y el mimetismo para adaptarse a su medio ambiente y así aumentar su posibilidades de supervivencia.  Los estudiantes “viajaron” a través de océanos, bosques y selvas para aprender cómo los animales han desarrollado distintos tipos de camuflaje para sobrevivir sus hábitats. Los alumnos se divirtieron tratando de encontrar “animales escondidos” y discutiendo sobre ciertos animales que han desarrollado unos camuflajes excepcionales.

También aprendimos sobre el mimetismo, que ocurre cuando un organismo evoluciona para parecerse a otro, y discutimos las razones por las cuales ésto ocurre. Entre los ejemplos de mimetismo podemos encontrar una polilla que se parece a una avispa o una serpiente no venenosa que se parece a una venenosa.

Finalizamos la clase con un divertido juego de caza y camuflaje. Los estudiantes simularon estar varados en una isla remota, y debieron desarrollar técnicas de caza para poder identificar y capturar su comida y así sobrevivir. Tenían que probar el efecto  de ver las presas camufladas (mostacillas de colores) en  distintos colores de fondos. Esta lección sobre el camuflaje es una de las actividades favoritas de los estudiantes.

Información adicional:

¿Quieres aprender más sobre el camuflaje?  Revisa este video sobre el pulpo mimo de Indonesia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8oQBYw6xxc

 

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Author

Leighann

Leighann Sullivan earned her BS in Biology from Cornell University. For a number of years she taught math, science, and language skills at a secondary school for learning disabled students. She subsequently earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Rice University. Her dissertation was entitled, “Molecular and Genomic Analyses in Clostridium acetobutylicum.” When not pursuing academic interests she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, and experimenting in the culinary arts.

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