Although commonly known as a starfish, they are not fish and marine biologists now refer to these invertebrates as sea stars. Unlike fish, they do not have fins, scales, bones, or gills. Starfish are classified as echinoderms.
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A jellyfish is not a fish either, and therefore have been renamed sea jellies. Go here to view the humorous book, I AM NOT A FISH!, full screen.
Watch All ABOUT ECHINODERMS full screen here.
I love finding examples of camouflage which is used by both predators and their prey to hide from one another. In recent posts, we saw how a species used mimicry.
Most of us are familiar with concealing coloration when an animal matches its background, but this is an example of disruptive coloration. The striped pattern makes it difficult to identify the animal’s outline because it blends with similar markings on the decaying log. Zebras, tigers, and cheetahs also use this type of camouflage.
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More Information on Camouflage
Go here to review the various types of camouflage.
This little gray tree frog has a big voice. After the spring peepers finish, the symphony of their voices fills the forest. One way to identify them is by the white patch under the eyes. They can change their color (gray, green, or brown) to match their surroundings or moods, and their blotchy appearance camouflages them in lichen.
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Go here to view this video about how animals change color full screen.
“Creation is a touch-taste-sight-sound-smell symphony of multifaceted physical glories.” Tripp
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Is it a Frog or a Toad?
Unexpected discoveries are the best! The woodlands often hold surprises for me, and coming across this eyed click beetle is certainly one of them.
What an example of mimicry! Mimicry, a defense mechanism, is when one organism looks or acts like an object or another organism to deter predators. Although it appears to have two large eyes, they are only markings. They certainly fooled me at first glance! The real eyes are much smaller and rest behind the antennae. It’s clown like image just makes me laugh!
When threatened, the beetle will make a clicking sound and flip over to frighten off predators. Now that I would like to see!
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Click here to watch an animated version of this story.
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Learn more about mimicry in the following video. Go here to view full screen.
I was given ladybugs, a natural predator and a gardener’s friend, when I purchased new plants for my garden at Pike’s Nursery. Written directions instructed that they be released in the morning or early evening and because they would be thirsty, near recently watered plants. It was further recommended that the container be placed on the ground and not shaken, so that the beetles would not fly away from the intended garden. Below are some of the photos I captured of them exploring their new environment. What do you notice about the number of spots on their outer wings?
On a recent walk, I also found the larval stage of ladybugs, as well as the pupal stage.
This larva ran right into a caterpillar who was out for a stroll.
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