compare contrast essay

Chelsea Borek

Kerr

EN101-5

10-6-10

Predator and Prey

            Predators and prey have a hostile but necessary relationship. The word predator comes from the Latin word praedari, meaning to plunder.  A predator is defined as any organism that lives by preying on and consuming other organisms (“Predator – AlphaDictionary”). The prey of predators are animals that are hunted and killed for food and this term originated from the Latin word praeda, meaning to be seized as plunder (“Definition of Prey”). Both predators and prey use camouflage to avoid detection from each other in order to ensure their own survival. Predators use camouflage to surprise their pray, while the prey uses camouflage to hide from or deceive the predators.  This dynamic can be found between humans, animals, and man-made objects.

            Camouflage is important for people when they are the prey. In the 2002 film based on a true story, Catch Me If You Can, the lead character, Frank, took advantage of camouflage in order to con and avoid the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Frank used mimicry to change his identity and make himself less easily detected by the FBI. Constantly changing identities made it difficult for the agents to follow Frank’s record. Throughout the film, Frank posed as a pilot, a doctor, and even a secret service agent. By pretending to be a person other than himself, Frank could hide in plain sight. When Frank came face to face with the FBI agent tracking him, he was able escape by posing as secret service agent that had also been searching for Frank. By camouflaging himself quickly, Frank was able to elude the FBI for several years (“Catch Me If You Can”). People also use camouflage when they are the predators. When hunting deer, people wear camouflage to blend in with the trees and sneak up on their prey. Deer are more likely to run away when they detect motion. The hunter’s camouflage attire breaks up their lines, making movements less noticeable. The hands and head are the most important parts to keep camouflaged. This is because, while hunting, the person’s hands and head are the most frequently moved parts of the body. Camouflage allows the hunter to spot its prey, without the deer knowing the predator is there (“Camouflage for the Hunter”). Both the convict and the hunter use camouflage to hide more effectively.

            Animals use camouflage to avoid predators or to attack their prey. Prey rely on camouflage to survive and not become food. Leaf butterflies mimic leaves to avoid a bird’s radar. Their coloring is the same as that of a dead leaf. The insect even has a body shaped like the stem of a leaf. Birds pass right by the butterfly, because it looks more like a dead leaf than a butterfly (“Howstuffworks”).  Predators rely on camouflage to surprise and attack their food. Turtles use mimicry to trick their prey because a turtle’s shell closely resembles a rock. Underwater, fish will pass by the turtle, as long as the turtle remains still. When fish swim by the “rock” and get close enough, the turtle can strike. This is beneficial for the turtle because it almost ensures that it will have a meal (“Howstuffworks”). Mimicry is one form of camouflage that is effective for animal survival.

            The military is well known for camouflaging objects. Camouflage is important for a strong and surviving military. The United States military has the ability to camouflage an entire estate. Camp David is a very well hidden presidential retreat located in the Catoctin Mountains. Constructed of wood from local trees, Camp Davis blends in with the surrounding forest. Instead of looking like the typical grand retreat, Camp David looks more like a log cabin with a rustic feel (“Camp David”). Not even depicted on area maps, Camp David is camouflaged so well that tourists, the media and most importantly terrorists cannot locate the president’s hide away. The Unites States Military also has the technology to make its machinery virtually undetectable. Stealth technology creates our military’s best predators. The concept of Stealth was created to make air craft more difficult for enemies to detect. The designers of this genius camouflage discovered that by redirecting electromagnetic waves from radar, the aircraft became invisible. Radar-absorbent material was also made to reduce or block radar signals that bounced off from the surface of planes (“Stealth Technology”). An aircraft that is not easily detected by an enemy’s radar can infiltrate the prey’s territory.

            Camouflage is essential for the survival of both predators and prey. For humans, and the objects they create, camouflage is a consciously designed effort to help them become better predators and hide from potential dangers. An animal’s camouflage is a natural covering that assists them in avoiding their predators or sneaking up on their prey. Whether human, wildlife, or object, camouflage is an excellent method for survival.

           

Works Cited

"Camouflage for the Hunter." Real Bucks by Real Hunters. Deer Hunting by Deer Hunters. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://www.pabucks.com/huntingcamouflage.html#Camouflage for the Hunter>.

"Camp David | A History of the Presidential Retreat." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/campdavid1.html>.

Catch Me If You Can. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Dream Works SKG, 2002. DVD.

"Definition of Prey from Oxford Dictionaries Online." Oxford Dictionaries Online - English Dictionary and Thesaurus. Web. 02 Oct. 2010. <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/prey?view=uk>.

"Howstuffworks "11 Animals That Use Camouflage"" Howstuffworks "Animals" Web. 03 Oct. 2010. <http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/11-animals-that-use-camouflage.htm/printable>.

"Predator - AlphaDictionary * Free English On-line Dictionary." AlphaDictionary * Free English Online Dictionary * Word Games. Web. 02 Oct. 2010. <http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/predator>.

"Stealth Technology : Who, What, Where, When." Serving History :. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://www.servinghistory.com/topics/Stealth_technology>.

 

Camouflage Re-Write

Chelsea Borek

Kerr

EN101-5

9/29/10

Camouflage

Camouflage is a method found in nature that allows an organism to blend in with its surrounding environment (Chemistry Daily.) This technique is used to avoid observation through deception. By blending in with the environment, an organism can often escape detection from predators. Animals can produce camouflage by blending in with a specific environment, changing with the environment, and through mimicry.

Animals produce colors to blend in with their environment. Blending in with a particular environment is a very effective form of camouflage. However, this is only true when the animal remains in its original environment because animals are unable to alter their colors. For example, deer are a brownish color that blends in with the browns of a forest’s trees and soil, while dolphins are a grayish-blue color that camouflages them with the water. Neither the deer nor the dolphin would be able to change its pigmentation just by moving to a new environment. There are two methods responsible for this type of camouflage: natural pigments, and physical structure of fur.  The first method, natural pigmentation, relies on pigment molecules that produce the distinct coloration of the animal, allowing it to copy the colors of its environment. These pigments that are found in skin and fur and absorb specific wavelengths of light while reflecting others (Animals| Causes of Colors.) In the second method, the camouflage is produced from the physical structure of the fur.  An example of this is the coat of a polar bear. The translucent hairs of a polar bear create their white coloration. Their skin is actually black, and when light strikes the curved hairs, some is absorbed into the surface of the skin, and the rest is reflected out (Animals| Causes of Colors.) An animal that is effectively camouflaged in one environment would be extremely noticeable and more vulnerable in another.

Animals can also produce a camouflage to change with altering environments. One of the largest shifts in an animal’s environment occurs with the changes of seasons. The Arctic Hare, in the summer, has brown fur. The brown camouflages the Hare with the soil and lower parts of trees and shrubs. In the winter, the Hare goes through a period of shedding the brown fur and it is replaced with white fur. This pure white coloration camouflages the Hare in the new snowy environment (5 Arctic Animals.) Some animals do not need to completely lose their outer covering to change their color. In the ocean, the slug-like sea animals, Nudibranches, change coloration by simply altering their diet. Nudibranches not only live in the coral but it is also their primary food source. As they consume the coral, pigments from the coral are deposited in their skin. This results in the Nudibranch being an exact match with the coral (National Geographic Magazine.) When the animal moves to a different color coral, the body color changes along with the new food source. The diet of the Nudibranch allows the animal to maintain perfect camouflage, regardless of their location.

Mimicry is a third form of camouflage. Mimicry is the ability of an animal to copy the pattern of another animal, in order to confuse a potential predator. The Viceroy butterfly uses mimicry by having similar colors and markings as the foul tasting Monarch butterfly. This deceives birds that would otherwise eat the Viceroy butterfly because birds mistake them for the Monarch (National Zoo.) Another insect that uses mimicry to camouflage itself is the Drone fly. Drone flies are often mistaken for bees because the body of a Drone fly shares the striped pattern that is commonly found on a bee (Pond Life.) Camouflage by mimicry is not found only in insects. A reptile, the Scarlet King snake, is also an excellent imitator. The coloring of a Scarlet King snake is almost exactly the same as that of a venomous Coral snake. The only difference between the two is the pattern of the stripes with the colors occurring in a different order on each species of snake. At first glance, a potential predator would easily mistake the harmless Scarlet King snake for the deadly Coral snake (Indian Public Media.) Mimicry is a unique type of camouflage because it does not hide the animal’s presence, it merely misrepresents it.

 There are many examples of camouflage found in nature. Camouflage can be as simple as producing an outer covering that matches one environment, or as complex as giving an animal the ability to be hidden in changing environments. Sometimes, it allows animals to deceive their predators by imitating more threatening species. Camouflage is a prevalent method of allowing living things to blend in with their environment so as to escape detection from predators. 

Works Cited

 "5 Arctic Animals That Turn White for Winter." WebEcoist. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. <http://webecoist.com/2008/12/24/arctic-animals-change-color-camouflage/>.

"Animals | Causes of Color." Webexhibits. Web. 24 Sept. 2010. <http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/7I.html>.

By. "Batesian Mimicry in Snakes: Coral Snakes and Scarlet King Snakes | A Moment of Science - Indiana Public Media." Indiana Public Media | News and Information, Music, Arts and Community Events from WFIU and WTIU. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. <http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/batesian-mimicry-snakes/>.

 "National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com." Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/nudibranchs/holland-text>.

"Pond Life - The Drone Fly." Pond Life - Meditating with a Dip Net. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. <http://www.pond-life.us/pond-life-drone-fly-1.html>.

Raffia, To Use. "Chemistry - Camouflage." Chemistry Daily - Articles on Every Chemistry Topic. Web. 10 Sept. 2010. <http://www.chemistrydaily.com/chemistry/Camouflage>.

So, By Doing. "Insect Camouflage and Mimicry - National Zoo| FONZ." Welcome to the National Zoo| FONZ Website - National Zoo| FONZ. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. <http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Invertebrates/Facts/insects/camouflage.cfm>.

Camouflage Final Draft

Chelsea Borek

Kerr

EN101-5

9/15/10

Camouflage

Camouflage is a method found in nature that allows an organism to blend in with its surrounding environment.  This technique is used avoid observation through deception. By blending in with the environment, an organism can often escape detection from predators. In this way, the organism can survive longer and potentially reproduce, thus increasing the population of its species.

Animals produce the colors to match their environment through biochemical processes. Biochromes are natural pigments found in the body of many animals that produce color. The chemical make-up of color pigments allows them to absorb some colors of light and reflect others. The color of a living thing is a combination of all the visible wavelengths of light that are reflected from it. An example of this is polar bears. The translucent hairs of a polar bear create their white coloration that we see. Their skin is actually black, and when light strikes the curved hairs, some is absorbed into the surface of the skin, and the rest is reflected out.

Animals can also produce an accidental camouflage. In some cases, caterpillars are green due to their diet. Their blood absorbs the chlorophyll from their food, giving them their green coloring that matches their leafy environment. A South American sloth can acquire a greenish coloration because of symbiotic algae that lives on its fur. This helps to hide the sloth as it lives and sleeps in the trees.

Mimicry is another form of camouflage. Mimicry is the ability of an animal to copy a pattern of another animal in order to confuse a potential predator. The Viceroy butterfly uses mimicry by having similar colors and markings as the poisonous Monarch butterfly. This deceives birds that would otherwise eat the Viceroy butterfly because it makes them appear poisonous. 

There are many factors involved in an animal’s camouflage. The main element is the environment in which the animal lives.  An animal that lives in the forest would not have the same camouflage as an animal living in the ocean. For example, deer are a brownish color that blends in with the browns of a forest’s trees and soil, while dolphins are a grayish-blue color that camouflages them with the water.

 An animal that is effectively camouflaged in one environment would be extremely noticeable in another environment. Animals of the tundra all have white fur that would stand out among the trees of a forest.  Polar bears, rabbits, and foxes all blend in with the snow. This allows the predator to be less visible as it stalks its prey and allows the prey to hide among the snow banks.   Animals in the same family often have very different coloration that has developed over many years. Besides the polar bear, there are both black bears and brown bears. Both of the cousins of the polar bear live among trees so a darker color provides a more effective camouflage. 

Camouflage is important for survival. An animal that has camouflage is more likely to survive and reproduce then an animal that lacks camouflage. Over generations, the camouflaged animals increase in population. Camouflage as a method of adaptation is a key factor of natural selection. Natural selection was first explained by Charles Darwin in his theory of evolution.  Darwin noticed that animal populations depended on “survival of the fittest,” and survival often depended on the ability to remain hidden.

As humans have evolved, they have often impacted the environment of other organisms.  The peppered moths have proven to be an excellent subject for observation because scientists have noticed an adaptation resulting from a change in their environment.

Before the Industrial Revolution, the peppered moths were mostly light colored, which effectively camouflaged them against the light colored trees. The moths simply landed on the trees for both resting and reproduction. Occasionally, a moth would be born with a darker colorization. This type of moth was so visible when it landed on the trees that they were readily caught and eaten by birds. This prevented the darker colored moth from reproducing and reduced the dark color in the gene pool.  

After the Industrial Revolution there was a noticeable decrease in light colored moths and an increase in dark ones. Around this time, there was an increase in the human population and a subsequent increase in factories. The factories created layers of soot that covered the light trees and tuned them dark grey. This meant that the light colored moths were now very visible to the birds and the dark moths were camouflaged. Since the dark moths were now effectively hidden from the birds, they survived long enough to reproduce and pass on the dark color genes to their offspring.  This slow change in camouflage is a classic example of adaptation.

All organisms are genetically predisposed to reproduce and thereby insure the survival of their species. Camouflage has proven to be an effective method of allowing living things to blend in with their environment so as to escape detection and deceive predators.  Though this natural process has been quite successful for many species, humans have begun to drastically alter their environment and destroy the natural covering that has made camouflage so effective. Many species are undergoing the evolutionary process to create a new camouflage. Unfortunately, some species have not been able to adapt quickly enough to avoid extinction. It is important to recognize the significance of camouflage as a life-saving adaptation for many living things before making drastic changes to our environment.

Works Cited

"Charles Darwin | Naturalist." Lucidcafé Interactive Café and Information Resource. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. <http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/library/96feb/darwin.html>.

 "Chemistry - Camouflage." Chemistry Daily - Articles on Every Chemistry Topic. Web. 10 Sept. 2010. <http://www.chemistrydaily.com/chemistry/Camouflage>.

"Science: Natural Camouflage - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Web. 10 Sept. 2010. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,884415,00.html>.

So, By Doing. "Insect Camouflage and Mimicry - National Zoo| FONZ." Welcome to the National Zoo| FONZ Website - National Zoo| FONZ. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. <http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Invertebrates/Facts/insects/camouflage.cfm>.

Camouflage Outline

Camouflage


What is it?
       A method that allows an organism to blend in with its surrounding environment; to “avoid observation” through deception.


How does in occur in nature?
       Animals produce different colors to match their environment in multiple ways.

»Chemically:
Biochromes- A natural pigment in an animal’s body that produces color pigments. The chemical make-up absorbs some colors of light and reflects others. The color of this is a combination of all the visible wavelengths of light that are reflected.

Example- The translucent hairs of a polar bear create their white coloration. Their skin is actually black, when light hits the curved hairs, some is absorbed into the surface of the skin, and the rest is reflected out.
Question- In the dark, are Polar Bears really black? Does this help them to blend into their environment at night?

»Accidentally:
Caterpillars- (in some cases) are green due to their diet. Their blood absorbs chlorophyll from their food.
Sloth- a South American sloth can acquire a greenish coloration because of symbiotic algae that lives on its fur.

How does it differ between species?
    Factors include:
Environment/ Biomes (ie. Forest, Ocean, Desert…)
Climate
Furs, Scales, Feathers, Exoskeletons
Examples of different camouflage: Deer, Sharks, Frogs, Snakes


What are the benefits?
    Survival
»Adaptations
»Natural Selection
  Evolution