Life in the Bayou: Understanding the frog life cycle and adaptations of bayou animals

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Life in the Bayou
Understanding the frog life
cycle and adaptations of
bayou animals

2. Activity 1: Frog Life Cycle
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3. Activity extension- Frog
Malformations
Vocabulary:
Metamorphosis- A major change in the body
appearance and structures as an animal
grows. It is a rapid, dramatic change in form.
Bio-Indicators- A living creature that can be used
to tell you something about the area it lives in.
It can be positive or negative.
Malformation- Primary errors that occur during
morphogenesis that disrupts the formation of a
normally formed organ or body part during the
early stages of development.

4. Examples of
malformations observed
in Leopard frogs 1)
missing leg, 2) extra toe,
and 3) extra foot.

5. Activity 2: Bayou Camouflage
Vocabulary:
Habitat- The enivonment in which an
organism lives
Bayou- A swampy, slow moving offshot of a
lake or river
Adaptation- A body part or behavoir that
helps a plant or animal survive
Camouflage- Protective coloring that helps
an animal hide from predator and prey.

6. Factors that influence camouflage
• Develops differently depending on
physiology and behavoir of animal (for
example, an animal with scales is different
than an animal with fur)
• Environment is most important factor
determining what camouflage looks like.
Simplest techinique is to match the
“background” of its surroundings.
• An animal will not develop camouflage that
does not need it to survive.

7. Color!
• Color to match environment
• Change color to better match their
backgrounds as they move location, or
light and temperature fluctuations.
• Elements of disquise
– Countershading- the coloration of the upper
parts is darker than its underside, distorts
shadow on ground
– Patterns or designs (i.e. moths)
– Mimicry- to take on appearance of another
object or animal, mimicking its behavoir (i.e.;
walking stick, Scarlet king snake)

8. Hyla cinerea (Green tree frog) changes
colors to match its background from
bright green to brown
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9. More camouflage examples
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10. Mimicry
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Non-venomous mimics venomous
to avoid predators.
Remember- “Red touch yellow, kill
a fellow; Red touch black friend of
Jack”
Scarlet king snake- non-venomous
Coral snake- venomous