Cooperative Living June 2015 - 36

KIDS' KORNER by Anne M. Dellinger, Contributing Columnist
Hiding in Plain Sight
y
p
" wish-I-was-invisible " moment.
It might have happened
when your teacher
caught you passing a personal note
in class. Or maybe you messed up the Pledge of
Allegiance in front of the whole school. Perhaps you
couldn't remember the first note of your musical selection
at a piano recital.
When all eyes were on you, wouldn't it have been
amazing to have blended into your surroundings and
become undetectable? Can you imagine the bewildered
looks on everyone's faces if you had vanished into the
folds of your backpack hanging on your desk, or the
stripes of the American flag or the wood grain of that
piano bench?
Having the ability to fade into the background, especially
when life gets awkward, would be a powerful act.
But so far, in human development, people have not been
able to achieve this feat naturally. Becoming unnoticeable
requires special equipment, like the camo clothing
and cover-up gear used by soldiers and hunters.
Nature always finds a way
In the natural world, however, no accessories are
needed for disappearing acts. Animals that are outfitted
by Mother Nature are experts at hiding and deceiving.
Most natural ruses allow an animal to subtly blend
into its environment; however, there are some deceptions
that actually draw attention to
an animal. Bold colors, patterns,
and shapes serve as disguises
that make an animal appear
dangerous or uninteresting to
would-be predators.
No matter what method of
trickery is used, staying alive is the
goal of the pretense. In the wild, life is
all about not being eaten while getting something
to eat!
Watching nature's game of hide and seek
" Finding and catching " are endless pursuits in nature.
It is fascinating to witness animals going about their
business of existing. Especially interesting are those that
can be an elusive prey one moment and a crafty predator
the next ... think of a green praying mantis hunkered
down in a leafy bush, hiding from a hungry bird but
also waiting for a careless butterfly.
Some of the animals mentioned in the following material
may not be native to your area. But no matter where
you live, there will be creatures hiding. If you want to
catch them in their act of survival, simply put on your
prying eyes and let your curiosity be your guide when
you're out and about this summer.
34
Many animals become less visible because their natural
colors blend with their surroundings. Some creatures
can even change their " camouflage
suits " to match the background
of different seasons.
The snowshoe hare's
snow-white winter coat
becomes reddish-brown in
summer. However, its predators,
the Arctic fox and wolf, also
have the fur color-change advantage, so the hunted and
the hunter are both similarly clad! Lucky for the hare that
it is alert, nimble and fast!
Spots, stripes and patterns confuse
the eye by breaking up an animal's
outline, causing it to become
part of its background. Zebras, tigers
and leopards have this feature.
Closer to home, there are deer,
fawns, fish, lizards and snakes (copperhead, rattlesnake)
with these features. They can be
so cleverly hidden that you may have
walked by them and never been aware
of their presence. Scary thought when
you think of those venomous critters!
Some insects appear to be in
costumes that make them resemble
twigs, leaves and thorns.
Treehoppers, cankerworms,
walking sticks, katydids and
praying mantises are these
great imitators that unobservant
predators and, in some cases,
unsuspecting prey often miss.
You'll fail to spot these imposters,
too, if you don't look
carefully and closely.
WARNING COLORATION
Certain animals boldly advertise that they
are dangerous and undesirable. They warn
that they may have venom,
stingers, foul scents, spines or toxins
by flaunting bright-red, yellow, orange
or contrasting white-and-black colors.
Predators soon learn to think twice before
attacking nature's nasty standouts:
monarch butterfly (toxic) * skunk (stinky) * bee (painful).
Armed with powerful weapons, these animals have
no need to hide.
Cooperative Living/June 2015
KIDS! CLIP AND KEEP YOUR KIDS' KORNER COLUMNS IN A THREE-RING BINDER AND YOU'LL HAVE A NOTEBOOK CHOCK FULL OF FUN IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FUTURE!

Cooperative Living June 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living June 2015