Adaptations
It allows an animal to blend in to its surroundings.
What is camouflage?
A group of wolves
What is a pack?
This animal smells by flicking its tongue and can also use heat sensing to detect prey.
What is a snake?
Fossils of this ice age animal have been found in Mahaska County.
What is a mammoth?
Shark, octopus, lobster
What is an ocean?
When an animal slows down its metabolism and sleeps through the winter.
What is hibernation?
A group of geese
What is a flock or a gaggle?
These birds of prey have excellent hearing and night vision that helps them hunt in the dark.
What are owls?
Native Americans in Iowa often hunted these animals for food, clothing, and shelter.
What are bison?
Camel, scorpion, roadrunner
What is a desert?
When an animal has adapted to be active at night, they are called this.
What is nocturnal?
A group of crows
What is a murder?
These pets can rotate their ears up to 180 degrees to help them detect sound.
(Hint: a slang term for this is "airplane ears")
What are cats?
You may spot this species of turtle at the Eddyville Dunes Sand Prairie.
What is an ornate box turtle?
Spider monkey, capybara, tapir
What is a tropical rainforest?
Darwin noticed finches had adapted this part of their body differently depending on their source of food, which led to his Theory of Natural Selection.
What are beaks?
A group of ants or bats
What is a colony?
Bats have this sense which they use to hunt by emitting a high-pitched sound that bounces off prey, revealing where they are.
What is echolocation?
Rattlesnakes are very rare in Iowa. If you think you've spotted one, it's most likely this species of non-venemous snake.
(Hint: we have one here at the ELC)
What is a fox snake?
Badger, meadowlark, elk
What is a prairie?
Some animals have this adaptation that makes them look like other plants or animals.
What is mimicry?
A group of porcupines
What is a prickle?
Grasshoppers hear through this part of their body.
What are knees?
These mammals have been spotted in Mahaska County, indicating that they are starting to extend their range farther North.
What are armadillos?
Caribou, lemming, muskox
What is a tundra?