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Michael kendricks September 20 2012 Ecosystem comparison project 2078 12 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 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. Print this article Animal adaptations o 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 o 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 o . 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.