Relationships in Nature BY: Kathy KINSNER

Introduction  Animals depend upon each other in many ways to survive.  What you read might surprise you.  As you make your way through the book, you’ll read interesting tidbits about a variety of animals.

Chapter 1  A snail kite and an apple snail are another example of a predator-prey relationship.  The snail kite is a medium sized hawk that lives in the Florida everglade.  Predators use many methods to capture their prey.

Chapter 1  Some predators are very fast and simply chase their victims.  Some prey have adapted to protect themselves.  Some prey survive as a species because they have so many babies.

Chapter 1  Others hide out and ambush, or make a surprise attack on, their prey.  Still other predators hunt in packs.  That way they can kill bigger prey than if they are alone.

Chapter 1  Get a grip. A hawk has sharp claws, called talons perfect for catching fish.  Build a trap. Many spiders cover their webs with sticky drops.  Be patient. The polar bear waits by breaking in the ice.

Chapter 2 The colors of the clown fish make it easy prey for bigger fish. Clown fish are also very slow swimmers.

Chapter 2  A bird called a honey guide leads the honey badger to a beehive.  The honey badger tears open the hive with its long front claws.

Chapter 2  An oxpecker is a bird that spends its days traveling on a buffalo or other large mammal.  It also warns the animal when danger approaches.

Chapter 2  Aphids suck liquid from the stems,leaves,and roots of plants.  When an ant wants a drink it uses its antennae to tap an aphid.

Chapter 3  Parasitism is another type of partnership.  In this relationship, one partner [the parasite] lives on or in the other partners body.

Chapter 3  The female mosquito has sharp mouthparts to pierce its host’s skin.  Mosquitoes may carry dangerous viruses, such as west nile virus.

It’s a fact  These viruses can enter the hosts when mosquitoes attack.  Only female mosquitoes are parasites. Male mosquitoes feed on nectar and plant juices.

Deer ticks  Deer ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of birds or mammals.

Chapter 4  From our earliest days, humans have preyed on wild animals such as buffalo, to survive.  As time went on humans began to raise animals such as cattle for food.

Chapter 4  Today most of us don’t kill the animals we eat.  But we could still be considered predators when we buy meat to eat.

Chapter 4  Today alligators are no longer endangered.  As the human population grows, we take over the habitats of many kinds of animals.

Chapter 4  In some cases, as with a grizzly bears, the populations have declined.  In many places, wetlands have been drained for farming and building homes.

Conclusion  There are many ways in which animals adapt to survive in nature.  Predators have special abilities that help them hunt their prey.

Ch.1-1  Where does the snail kite hawk live?

Ch.1-2  A hawk eats a rattle snake and a rattle snake eats a what ?

Ch.1-3  If the lynx cannot find enough new prey, what happens?

Ch. 1-4  The snail kite is an expert at capturing the what?

Ch.2-1  What do predators do if they cant catch their prey?

Ch.2-2  When the anemone had its fill what happens?

Ch.2-3  Why does the wrasse do a little dance in front of a big fish?

Ch.2-4  Why do aphids suck liquid from the stems, leaves, and roots of plants?

Ch.3-1  Which mosquito is a parasite a male or a female?

Ch.3-2  What do the parasite deer ticks feed on?

Ch.4-1  In the 1800’s how many buffaloes did the hunters kill?

Ch.4-2  What other reasons did humans kill animals for?