Student Practice Sheet
Develop a topic using examples
Name ____________________
Date _____________________
Instructions: When the video asks you to pause, complete the activity below that has
the same stop sign as you see in the video. The instructions are given in the video.
Animals Speak Color
The poisonous dart frogs use conspicuous color to tell predators that
they are not good to eat. Similarly, a venomous coral snake sports rings of
bright color to advertise that it isn’t to be messed with—by a bird
considering it for lunch, for instance—while a milk snake, which isn’t
poisonous and could be taken quite safely, looks much like a coral snake
and trades on the latter’s reputation.
One
way that color can help animals is as a warning. Many poisonous
frogs, snakes, and even butterflies advertise how dangerous they are so
that predators will leave them alone. For example, the poison dart frog
uses bright blue and yellow skin to warn predators that they are dangerous
to eat. Another example is the coral snake, which has bright rings on its
body that tell other animals to leave it alone. The color of some harmless
species makes them look like dangerous animals. By pretending to be
dangerous, these harmless creatures keep themselves safe.
Student Practice Sheet
Develop a topic using examples
Another way color benefits animals is as camouflage. Many creatures
are the same color as their environments; this helps them to blend in,
concealing them from predators. _________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
However, predators can also blend into their surroundings, allowing them
to sneak up on their prey. _________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Student Practice Sheet
Develop a topic using examples
Answer Key
Instructions: Whenever the video asks you to pause, complete the activity below that
has the same number as the stop sign in the video. The instructions are in the video.
Animals Speak Color
The poisonous dart frogs use conspicuous color to tell predators that
they are not good to eat. Similarly, a venomous coral snake sports rings of
bright color to advertise that it isn’t to be messed with—by a bird
considering it for lunch, for instance—while a milk snake, which isn’t
poisonous and could be taken quite safely, looks much like a coral snake
and trades on the latter’s reputation.
Note: Students may underline the entire sentence, but encourage them to
focus down onto the specific phrases that show an example.
One way that color can help animals is as a warning. Many poisonous
frogs, snakes, and even butterflies advertise how dangerous they are so
that predators will leave them alone. For example, the poison dart frog
uses bright blue and yellow skin to warn predators that they are dangerous
to eat. Another example is the coral snake, which has bright rings on its
body that tell other animals to leave it alone. The color of some harmless
species makes them look like dangerous animals. By pretending to be
dangerous, these harmless creatures keep themselves safe. For
instance, the milk snake is harmless, but because it has the same colors
as the venomous coral snake it is usually left alone.
Note: Student responses may be worded differently. The important thing
is for them to write about the example of the milk snake using their own
words.
Another way color benefits animals is as camouflage. Many creatures
are the same color as their environments; this helps them to blend in,
concealing them from predators. For example, deer and squirrels are the
same color as the forest floor, which helps them hide. However,
predators can also blend into their surroundings, allowing them to sneak up
on their prey. Sharks and dolphins are examples of predators whose color
helps them hide from their prey. Their gray and blue coloring helps them
blend into the ocean.
Student Practice Sheet
Develop a topic using examples
Note: Student responses should give each example after the sentence
which introduces the fact they are illustrating. The example of the deer and
squirrels should come after the fact that many creatures blend into their
environments to conceal themselves from predators. The example of
sharks and dolphins should come after the fact that many predators blend
into their surroundings. Explain that examples should follow the facts they
prove, otherwise they do not make any sense.
One way that animals defend themselves is by using smell. Many
predators use their keen sense of smell to track down their prey, but some
animals use this against them. When they feel threatened, these creatures
can vomit up or spray out horrible smelling substances that make
predators think twice about eating them. For instance, vultures spend their
days eating dead animals, which already smell pretty bad. If threatened,
vultures will puke up their last meal to convince any predator that they are
just too gross to eat. Another example is the millipede, which curls into a
ball to defend itself and can spray chemicals from its body that smell and
taste terrible. These amazing animals show that sometimes being the
smelliest one in the room can be a good thing!
Note: Student responses may vary. The important thing is for them to
include specific examples of the vulture and the millipede using their own
words.