How do zebras protect themselves from their enemies

Informative Essay (Very Easy)

You need to read a short article and watch a short video to write an essay about 3-4 pages. Please make sure no plagiarism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You will write an informative essay to answer this question:

How do animals use camouflage to protect themselves?

Use the information in GW5 Essay 1.2 (p.14) and the Q: Skills for Success Unit 3 documentary to synthesize ideas for your essay.

· Choose important information that relates to the question from each source.

· Group together the ideas that support each other.

· Paraphrase and combine the ideas into sentences.

· Include an introduction with a hook and thesis statement, two to four body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Requirement:

You will write an informative essay to answer this question:

How do animals use camouflage to protect themselves?

Use the information in GW5 Essay 1.2 (p.14) and the Q: Skills for Success Unit 3 documentary to synthesize ideas for your essay.

· Choose important information that relates to the question from each source.

· Group together the ideas that support each other.

· Paraphrase and combine the ideas into sentences.

· Include an introduction with a hook and thesis statement, two to four body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

First artical

Camouflage for Survival

1 The animals that can live the longest are the ones that hide the best.Animals must protect themselves from predators if they are to survive and reproduce, and many accomplish this goal through camouflage.If they hide themselves well,their predators will not see them and thus will not eat them. Camouflage is the end result of many evolutionary factors,but it develops primarily as a response to animals’environments.By blending in with their surroundings,animals greatly reduce the chance that a predator will locate and kill them.The four primary strategies of camouflage include concealing coloration,disruptive coloration,disguise,and mimicry. With mimicry,an animal’s coloring makes it resemble another,more dangerous creature so that they are virtually identical.The red,black,and yellow rings of scarlet kingsnakes resemble those of coral snakes.Scarlet kingsnakes are not poisonous,but coral snakes are one of the deadliest species of reptiles.Consequently,the coloring of scarlet kingsnakes scares away their predators,who mistake them for venomous snakes and do not target them for a meal. Animals such as zebras and giraffes show disruptive coloration.It may seem strange to think that zebras camouflage themselves through their stripes since these features appear quite distinctive to humans.The main predators of zebras,however,are lions,and they are colorblind.Thus,a zebra’s stripes help the zebra to blend in with the landscapes of grassy plains.Due to their height,giraffes are among the most easily recognized animals on the planet,yet their disruptive coloring allows them to blend in with trees,particularly when they are young and vulnerable.Disruptive coloration creates an optical illusion for predators,tricking them about what stands right before their eyes,and so these animals are rarely detected With disguise,some animals resemble specific elements of their surroundings rather than their environment as a whole.The insect known as a walking stick looks very much like a stick,so it is difficult to find it when looking at a tree or bush.Another insect species is referred to as leaf insects or walking leaves because their bodies so closely look like the plants where they live.Animals camouflage themselves in the seas and oceans as well.The tan coloring and markings of flatfish make them almost impossible to recognize due to the sand around them,despite changes in tides that disturb the ocean’s floor. Concealing coloration helps animals to blend into their surroundings and create a visual illusion.For example,the white coats or feathers of many animals living in arctic zones,such as polar bears and snowy owls,allow them to blend into the background.If a predator looks across a white snow-covered field,it is difficult to pick out its white prey.Moreover,some animals can change their colors.Stevens (2016) points out the role of concealment in camouflage:“One likely advantage is that color change enables animals to cope with varying backgrounds and unpredictable environments”(p.98).6 None of these strategies of camouflage is more effective than the other,and they all show the range of normal possibilities that nature offers animals to survive.Many animals combine camouflage with their “fight or flight”responses,which gives them additional time to decide whether they should stay and fight or flee.Furthermore,animals that use camouflage for protection share a conspicuous problem as well; as Emlen (2014) observes,“Animals that panic,dashing from their hiding places at the wrong time,or animals that walk or fly with the wrong gait,can break camouflage with deadly consequences”(p.18).The most effective camouflages keep animals safe from their predators.Whether by concealing coloration,disruptive coloration,disguise,or mimicry,animals need the protections of camouflage if they are to escape their natural foes.

References

Emlen,D.J.(2014).Animal weapons:The evolution of battle.New York: Henry Holt.Stevens,M.(2016).Cheats and deceits:How animals and plants exploit and mislead.Oxford: Oxford University Press.