Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Chameleon's adaptations

Chameleon 
By: Joyce Advincula


Picture- This is a picture of a chameleon using it's adaptations to survive in its environment.

Summary- The chameleon has many adaptations to live in its environment. I found the most interesting adaptation to be is that the color of their skin changes. Most of the time it changes when it is frightened, when the climate changes and when the light changes. Another adaptation is that their eyes are independent. this means that they can move in any direction and this helps them detect nearby predators. Also, the chameleon's tongue is incredibly fast. The human eye can hardly see it. The tip of it is very sticky so it is easier to catch prey because they are not very fast. When another male chameleon meets up with a male chameleon, they blow up to a greater size. Chameleon's only like females in their territory. The last adaption is that their long tail acts like another arm. It helps the chameleon balance on very small branches. As you can see, the chameleon's adaptations help it live in their environment.

Opinion/Reflection- I found this article really cool and interesting. I find it interesting how their skin color changes. I have never heard of this before and I was surprised when i heard this. Learning about animals and their adaptations is really cool and the chameleon seems to have the most interesting ones. I am really glad I got to learn about the chameleon and how it's unique characteristics help it survive in the wild.

Questions:

1. What adaptation did you find the most interesting and why?
2. How have humans adapted to where they live?
3. Can you name another species and name a few of its adaptations?










6 comments:

  1. I agree with Justin that this article is really cool! it's so amazing how they can change color and be able to shoot their tongue out so quickly that we couldn't even see it. I wish we could be able to find out how chameleons change color so we could be able to harness that ability and be able to use that! I am glad Justin did this article about chameleons so i could learn abt all their cool adaptions.

    Answer to question 1: I found that they could change the color of their skin very cool! I find it truly amazing that an animal has the ability to do that. To be able to do that is truly the definition of camouflage because know matter where they are they can blend into their surroundings no matter what it is and be safe from predators.

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  2. Opinion/Reflection: The summary about the chameleon’s adaptation really interested me. I was surprised to see how many adaptations a chameleon really has because I thought that the only adaptation they have is changing colors to blend in with something so they don’t get eaten. I agree with Justin when he says that he thinks learning about adaptations is really interesting and the chameleons have one of the most interesting. It would be cool to see other animals use their adaptations to survive in their environment. I am glad I got the chance to read this summary, because I was strongly interested.

    Answer to Question 1: I think the fact that chameleons change colors is the most interesting of their adaptations because being able to walk around changing colors would be so cool. I could not imagine not having a distinct color, but it serves them the best. If the chameleons were not able to change colors they would be killed. Changing the color of your skin is very interesting but I am not sure if they think about changing colors and then their skin changes, or if their skin changes colors right when they hit another object.

    Expansion: During the entire summary, changing colors was kind of the chameleon’s main adaptation. I found an article about how they change colors. Here it is: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/all-about-animals/animal-camouflage2.htm

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    Replies
    1. I would also like to add that based on what we learned in class, I know that the fact that chameleons change color based on their surroundings is an example of mimicry. Mimicry is a sub-part of structural adaptation. Also the fact that they have long tale is another exapmple of structural adaptation.

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  3. Opinion/Reflection: I think it is crazy how they can change their skin color. I never knew their eyes are independent. It is amazing how animals like these can adapt to changes so quickly. I agree with Ryan when he said i wish we could find out how Chameleons change color. We could do some pretty cool things with it. I think Chameleons are really cool animals and it would be fantastic to see one in person.

    Answer to question 1: I think the most amazing adaptation is that they can change colors. It is very cool because they change their colors when the light changes. Imagine if humans had the ability ti change colors!

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  4. I wanted to add to my post that this is a great example of a structural adaptation.

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  5. I wanted to add to my post that this is a great example of a structural adaptation.

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