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 activity where students were tasked with documenting a “newly discovered” species of animal, including illustrating its appearance, describing its adaptations, and classifying its camouflage and/or mimicry!

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.

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

Lauren Koppel

Lauren earned a Bachelor’s degree with a double major of Biology and Psychology from Clark University, and a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. During her undergraduate years, she worked in a evolutionary neurobiology lab that studied the neural development of annelids (marine worms), with a focus on the sox family of genes. Lauren loves learning about how the world works (including everything from biology to chemistry to engineering), and is passionate about sharing that knowledge and enthusiasm with others. In the past, she has interned at the Museum of Science, where she educated learners of all ages through hands-on activities, games, and experiments. Other science education organizations with which Lauren has worked include The People’s Science, EurekaFest, and Eureka! of Girls Inc. of Worcester. Currently she lives in Boston, where devotes her free time to playing Quidditch, reading sci-fi novels, playing her ukulele, and enjoying all the culinary delights the city has to offer.

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