T of L: Hunting and Escaping

Question 1

For Killer whales and seals:
1. How do they hunt seals?
2. How do seals defend themselves?

Answer 1

1. They hunt cooperatively by distracting or herding seals, or they beach themselves to grab seals too close to the edge.
2. Seals try to stay in shallow water.

Question 2

For frogs and opossums:
1. How do frogs defend themselves from depredation?

Answer 2

1. They inflate their lungs so they look very large and emit a screaming sound to scare opossum.

Question 3

For Spotted skunk:
1. What do they use besides coloration to warn against predators before spraying?

Answer 3

They do a handstand and point the business end at predators.

Question 4

For eyespots:
1. Who uses them (primarily)?
2. How do moth eyespots provide protection?
3. What do caterpillars use in addition to eyespots?

Answer 4

1. Caterpillars and moths / butterflies.
2. Birds will strike at the rear where the spots are - nonlethal damage to wings.
3. They use an organ that flicks like a snakes tongue (like swallowtail larvae :)

Question 5

For chimps:
1. What do chimps “hunt”?
2. How do they hunt (strategy)?

Answer 5

1. Hunt colobus monkeys during the wet season.
2. They employ a ‘pincer’ technique: blockers move ahead of prey and block their escape by closing in; drivers flush them out.