Wildlife in Full Color - Ohio Department of Natural Resources

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Color for ProtectionW I L D L I F E I N F U L L C O L O Rfood chain follows the order thatanimals feed on plants and otheranimals. The animals doing the eating arecalled predators, and the animals that geteaten are called prey. Each animal mustfend for itself in the wild. Wild animalsthat don’t want to become prey havecome up with some colorful adaptationsto protect themselves from predators.Camouflage means to blend in or hide.Many wild animals use the color of theirskin, fur, feathers or scales to disguisethemselves in their surroundings. Notevery prey animal has the ability to runfrom or fight a predator, so looking liketheir background makes them harder tosee.Mimicry means to look like or imitatesomething else. If a prey animal doesn’tlook like food it is less likely to be seen bya predator. Many animals have patternsand colors that make them look like twigs,leaves, plants, and even bird droppings!Warning coloration is usually a brightcolor that is used to scare predatorsor warn them that the would-be preydoesn’t taste very good.ACTIVITY: FILL IN THE BLANKRead the information about each animal, then fill in the blank with the type of protection you think it uses;Camouflage, mimicry, or warning coloration. See answers on back coverAmerican Bittern3. ______________________________Viceroy Butterfly1. ______________________________Many people are familiar with themonarch butterfly that is a frequentvisitor to backyard flower gardens, butnot everyone knows the viceroy butterfly.The viceroy is slightly smaller than amonarch, but looks almost identical. Aviceroy has an extra black stripe acrossthe bottom wings and a single row ofwhite dots, but is not different enoughfor a predator to notice. Monarchs arenot good to eat, so if a predator eats one,it will avoid eating a butterfly with thepattern of black and orange.Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar2. ______________________________This caterpillar spends its life eating andeating in preparation for turning into abutterfly, but it has to live long enoughto be able to do so. Since it needs toconsume so much food, it doesn’t havetime to hide from predators. Instead, ithas two large spots on its back that looklike giant eyes. When a predator sees thespots, it might think it is looking at a muchlarger animal and stay away.photo by MICHAEL HODGEThis shy bird spends most of its life inmarshes and wetlands hiding in the plants.If a bittern senses danger, it will stretch itslong neck up as high as possible and pointits bill towards the sky. The striping coloron its neck looks like a patch of grass inthe water. Bitterns will even sway backand-forthwith the breeze!photo by JAMES DIEDRICK6WILD OHIO MAGAZINE 2011- 2012
Walking Stick4. ______________________________A walking stick is an insect that doesjust what its name suggests, it looks likea stick that walks! They are slow-movinginsects with a slender body that can begreen or brown in color. Their threadlikeantennae and long, thin legs help themin their appearance. Since walking sticksfeed on trees and plants, they stay verystill during the day so that birds and otherpredators won’t notice them.photo by JOE LOONGRock Bass5. ______________________________Rock Bass are a freshwater fish thatprefer to live in a stream or a riverwith a rocky bottom. When a predatoris looking for a rock bass, it may beconfused in the difference between therocky bottom and the darker, mottledpattern of the fish’s scales.photo by BRIAN ZIMMERMANWhite-tailed Deer6. ______________________________White-tailed deer were named becauseof the white coloring on the undersideof the tail. When a deer notices danger,it can raise its tail quickly and flash thewhite color as a signal to other deer thatsomething is wrong.photo by KATHRINE CLIFTONGreen Frog7. ______________________________Green frogs can range in color fromgreen to a greenish-brown, and usuallyhave some darker spots on their back.Being an amphibian, they are cold-bloodedand can sit very still in the water for a longtime without getting too cold. Their eyesare positioned on top of their heads sothey can still look out for predators orprey while keeping most of their bodyunderneath the water. When a frog issitting on the edge of a pond or marsh,it is hard for a predator or prey to see itamong all the plants.photo by PAMELA HUGILLATTRIBUTES OF COLOR: CHROMAThe intensity of a color that ranges from its purest state to gray is known as chroma. Chroma is oftenreferred to as the saturation of color. Chroma is the quality by which stronger or more vivid colors aredistingushed from weaker or duller colors.2011 - 2012 WILD OHIO MAGAZINE7
Page 4 and 5: PRIMARYSurviving in a Wild WorldW I
Page 8 and 9: Hey Good Lookin’W I L D L I F E I
Page 10 and 11: People, Wildlife, and ColorW I L D
Page 12 and 13: hio’s mammals come in all kindsof
Page 14 and 15: COLOR in Fishh e n y o ut h i n k o
Page 16 and 17: hio’s insects are found in a rain
Page 18 and 19: COLOR in Birdsirror, mirror on the
Page 20 and 21: COLOR in Amphibianshen we think abo
Page 22 and 23: nlike people, most young reptilesar

Wildlife in Full Color - Ohio Department of Natural Resources

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