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Michael kendricks
September 20 2012
Ecosystem comparison project
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Animal adaptations
stone fish
Stonefish are the most venomous fish in the world. Camouflaged
like a rock, this stealthy ambush predator will sit on the bottom and
wait for unwary prey to swim by. Their dorsal surface is equipped
with venomous spines which cause an intense pain and can be fatal
if the victim does not receive medical attention within a couple of
hours. The first response to a stonefish encounter is to immediately
immobilize the affected area and apply heat or hot water. This will
break down the proteins in the venom.
Sea Jellies
Sea jellies belong to the phylum Cnidaria, which also includes sea
anemones and coral. Members of this phylum have characteristic stinging
cells, called cnidocytes, located in their tentacles which are used to trap
and subdue prey. The venom toxicity of different species of sea jellies
ranges from barely noticeable to extremely deadly. In fact, the box
jellyfish Chironex fleckeri is said to be the most venomous animal on the
planet.
Sea jellies have limited control over movement and spend much of their
lives drifting at the mercy of ocean currents. They can swim by contracting
and relaxing a muscle in their bell, a form of jet propulsion.
Moon jellies (Aurelia aurita) are a widely distributed species of sea jelly
with relatively short tentacles. They are suspension feeders, so rather than
trap prey with their tentacles they catch the majority of their food in the
Animal adaptations
mucus coating on the inside of their umbrella and use four oral arms to
move the food to their mouth. They eat a variety of zooplankton.
Animal adaptations
Porcupinefish
If threatened, these porcupinefish will gulp water into a specialized
chamber near the stomach to inflate themselves to nearly five times
their normal size. Porcupinefish take their name from the prominent
spines covering their bodies. These spines stand erect when the fish
is inflated. An inflated adult porcupinefish is an impenetrable
fortress capable of choking a large shark or giant grouper to death!
Porcupinefish are only dangerous to humans when eaten, and one
fish can contain enough poison to kill 30 people!
Conservation Status: Not listed
Size: Max length 60 cm
Diet: Forages at night on hard shelled invertebrates, primarily sea
urchins, gastropods (snails), and hermit crabs.
Major threats to survival: Over harvesting due to low reproductive
rate and slow growth. Porcupinefish have few natural predators as a
result of their great defenses. However, juveniles are eaten by mahi
mahi and billfishes and adults are preyed upon by tiger sharks.
Experienced chefs in Japan are able to prepare the nonpoisonous
parts of this fish as a delicacy, called Fugu.
Animal adaptations
Animals that live in the tundra have special adaptations that allow
them to survive the extreme temperatures and conditions that are
present in tundra’s. A good example of an animal with special
adaptations is the Arctic Fox. The Arctic Fox has short ears
and a short, round body with a thick coat to minimize the amount of
skin exposed to the frigid air. There are several threats to the
populations of animals that live in the tundra. Mining and oil drilling
are increasing habitat loss, as well as human habitations moving
farther north. Global warming could be one of the largest threats to
this ecosystem. As global warming melts more of the permafrost soil
the very delicate balance of plant and animal life in the tundra is
threatened.
Caribou
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Caribou and reindeer are North American and Eurasian names,
respectively, for the same species of northern deer that exists in various
subspecies across the higher latitudes of those continents. Woodland
caribou of North America inhabit mountain forests and taiga of Canada
and the northwestern U.S., but more northerly populations of barrenground caribou range the open tundra. These tundra caribou display a
number of adaptations to life on the cold, treeless plains.
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Animal adaptations
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1.
The caribou's coat includes two layers: a dense, woolly undercoat
shielded by longer, hollow guard hairs. The guard hairs trap air to insulate the body, a
factor that also makes caribou quite buoyant in the water. As herds often must cross big
rivers during their migrations, such buoyancy is a useful adaptation in and of itself.
Caribou grow woollier coats in the winter for further insulation, which contributes to their
subtle seasonal shifts in color. The Inuit of the North American Arctic incorporated
caribou wool as snug clothing.
Coat
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A caribou's two-layered coat provides good insulation.
The caribou's coat includes two layers: a dense, woolly undercoat shielded by longer, hollow guard hairs.
The guard hairs trap air to insulate the animal's body, a factor that also makes caribou quite buoyant in the
water. As herds often must cross big rivers during their migrations, such buoyancy is a useful adaptation in
and of itself. Caribou grow woollier coats in the winter for further insulation, which contributes to their subtle
seasonal shifts in color. The Inuit of the North American Arctic incorporated caribou wool as snug clothing.
2.
Hooves
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Caribou hooves are useful on snow and in water Caribou sport broad-splayed hooves, another of their prime
adaptations for tundra life. they mimic the effect of snowshoes, allowing the caribou to conserve the energy
that would otherwise be lost floundering in drifts. The caribou also employ the sharp edges of their hooves to
brush aside snow and access lichen and other forage beneath. Crossing rivers and sounds, the hooves
double as effective paddles.
2. Among deer, caribou are supreme runners -- a good adaptation in the face of predation
pressure by wolves, found nearly everywhere that tundra caribou are. Newborn caribou
calves can run shortly after being born; unlike many deer, they do not rely on
camouflage to avoid predators, but actively flee with the rest of the herd. The endurance
of caribou is legendary: North American herds conduct the longest migration of any
terrestrial mammal, itself an adaptation to the shifting resources of the high latitudes.
Their yearly movements between wintering and calving grounds may cover 3,000 miles.
Animal adaptations
Some common adaptations of resident animals in the arctic and alpine tundra:
- short and stocky arms and legs.
- Thick, insulating cover of feathers or fur.
- Color changing feathers or fur: brown in summer, and white in winter.
- Thick fat layer gained quickly during spring in order to have continual energy
and warmth during winter months.
- Many tundra animals have adapted especially to prevent their bodily fluids from
freezing solid.
- Resident animals like the ptarmigan and the ground squirrel use solar heating to
stay warm and save energy. Both animals stay out in the sun to warm up and
during the summer when the weather is warm, seek shade to cool off.
Diets
Animals and insects are obviously well adapted to the tundra's climate. Their
diets must also be adaptable. If their diets were not adaptable, many of the
tundra's animals and insects would starve in the winter because of the lack of
certain types of food. An example of this type of adaptation is the diet of the
brown bear. In the spring, since food is still scarce, bears may dig up roots or
even eat seaweed found along water sides. In the summer the brown bear's diet is
more complete. They will hunt for salmon and eat berries.
Since the tundra is the youngest biome, some tundra plants, insects, and
animals, can also be found in other biomes. For example, brown bears and
caribou can also be found in the taiga biome.