TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................. 357
1 ANIMAL SIGNS
ABOUT TH ISS ECTION ..................................... 358 WHERE TO LOOK ............................................... 359 SIGNS OF ANIMALS EATING PLANTS ......... 360 HOMES, TRAI LS, AN D SCRATCH I NGS .......... 362 WEBS, EGGS, AND COCOONS ......................... 363 TRACKS AND SCAT ........................................... 364
1 ANIMALS AND THEIR FOODS
ABOUTTHIS SECTION ..................................... 365 HOW TO FIGURE OUT WHAT AN
ANIMAL EATS ................................................. 366 FOOD SOU RCE CHARTS:
INSECTS ............................................................ 367 OTHER ANIMALS WITHOUT
BACKBONES .................................................. 371 AMPH I BIANS ................................................... 373 REPTI LES ........................................................... 374 BI RDS ................................................................ 376 MAMMALS ...................................................... 379
INTRODUCTION Even in seemingly barren schoolyards, lots of animals are busily getting the foods they need to survive. Although some animals are visibly active during the day, many others are either nocturnal or hard to see. Fortunately, there are often telltale signs of these animals and their activities. Once your students learn where and how to look for animals and their signs, they'll become aware of the wide variety of creatures within their everyday environment.
The Who Eats What guide will help you and your students find animals and their signs, and figure out what these animals eat. It will not necessarily help you identify all of the animals you find. For this you'll need field guides that provide keys, drawings, descriptions, and range maps for individual species. The Eco-Inquiry Module 1 "Resource List" suggests field guides for adults and young people that you can use to supplement the information provided here.
By using the information in this Who Eats What guide, your students will be able to make a food web that shows interactions in a local ecosystem, even if they never see a single animal in the act of eating!
crab
¥~
~i ~ garter
'snakes
~ v
ITREESI
D E A D
This symbol means CAUTION and appears next to animals or animal signs that are potentially hazardous. They might be poisonous, transmit diseases, or cause harmful bites or stings. Students should avoid all contact with animals or signs marked with the caution symbol. It's a good idea for students to avoid touching with bare hands all living and dead animals, and animal droppings.
&!
@
[ 2'
" :;., m n o ~
" 3 ~ " P-
-~.
'" '" ...
» '0 '0 (b ::l e:. X
»
KNOWING WHERE TO LOOK When searching for animals and their signs, students tend to look only on the ground. The "Where to Look" page helps them expand their focus. It provides tips on what animals and signs they might find in many locations.
KNOWING WHAT TO LOOK FOR The "Signs of Animals Eating Plants" and other animal signs pages help students develop search images for evidence of animal activity. Although the signs illustrated on these pages are only a sampling of those likely to be found at your study site, they provide a starting point to help your students notice things they often overlook. This new perspective will help them piece together clues about interactions among animals and their food sources.
1. ANI
SIGNS L
ABOUT THIS SECTION
.:J. J~ ::{;
""k~::;~ "'ft"" .. ,,,, ~
FINDING THE "WHAT" AND FIGURING OUT THE "WHO" Once students have found an animal sign, they'll need to figure out who made it. The signs illustrated in the animal signs pages are labeled with the names of the animals that make them. If students find a sign that's not included here, they can compare it to the illustrations to try to narrow down the type of animal (e.g., an insect, a bird) that could have made the sign.
Some animal signs, such as a nibbled leaf or a seed-filled scat, are direct evidence of what an animal is eating. Other animals signs, such as a nest or a track, simply reveal an animal's presence. Once students trace either of these kinds of signs to the animal who made them, they're ready to consult the "Animals and Their Foods" chapter to complete their detective work!
~ o
W Vi"
~ .. .... crs. FS-
@
[ §:. it ~ m () o ~ it 3 ~ " p..
~~.
'" '" ....
~ =
WHERE TO LOOK
IN THE AIR o up high for flying or soaring birds o around plants for flying insects
IN SHRUBS, CACTI, AND TREES o on branches, arms, and twigs for galls,
eggs, nests, browse marks, insects, spiders, mammals, tree frogs, snakes, and bird droppings
o on trunks for woodpecker holes, scratch marks, cocoons, webs, and ant trails
o in holes, pleats, and crevices in bark for nests, scorpions, pseudoscorpions, beetles, daddy-longlegs, and other small organisms
o on flowers and fruits for insects and signs of eating
o on leaves, stems, and vines for tree frogs, insects, insect eggs, snails, galls, and signs of eating
AMONG LOW PLANTS o in moss clumps for tiny animals o in grass for trails, clipped leaves, and
matted bedding o in thickets for signs of rabbits, such as
droppings, and clipped twigs or grass leaves
o on stems and leaves for insects, spiders, galls, insect eggs, bird droppings, and signs of eating
o on flowers for bees, flies, butterflies, moths, and spiders
~i;"~,, ~';;;>o",; .• _~~,:::." •. _
r --
--,,3-.>
~ ------~~~----. ~- -
ELSEWHERE o on and around tree stumps, fence
posts, and rocks (perches) for scat, nutshells, and other leftovers
o on fence posts and walls for birds, spiders, lizards, small mammals, snails, and insects
o in sunny areas for animals basking o on building ledges and windowsills
for birds, nests, and bat roosts o in drainpipe ends, and holes in
bricks and cinder blocks for spiders and insects
o on pavement and in sidewalk cracks for insects and other animals
o in wet areas for animals drinking
ON THE GROUND o between plants for scat, worm cast
ings, bird droppings and pellets o under rocks, boards, logs, bricks, and
trash for salamanders, toads, skinks, sow bugs, centipedes, millipedes, ants, snakes, scorpions, and beetles
o in leaf litter and surface soil for seed caches, earthworms, sow bugs, millipedes, beetles, and other small animals
o in sandy or muddy areas for tracks o under plants for bird nests, mammal
tunnels, mouse holes, rabbit dens, tracks, snakes, lizards, salamanders, and other animals
o in rotting logs, stumps, and under bark for termites, beetles, insect larvae, ants, skinks, and lizard eggs
~ =0
@
[ at; ~ m ()
:;: ~ " 3 Vl a-D.. ~~.
'" '" ..
> "0 "0 ('b ::l e:. X
>
SIGNS OF ANIMALS EATING PLANTS
MINED
serpentine mine
fly and moth larvae
SKELETONIZED
Look for insect larvae
inside the
leaf beetles, caterpillars, leafcutter bees
mine moth larvae,
midges
ROLLED
moths, buttetflies, beetles
red and gray squirrels, chipmunks, jumping mice, white-footed mice, deer mice
FINDING THE "WHO" AND FIGURING OUTTHE "WHAT" When students find an animal, they can use the "How to Figure Out What an Animal Eats" page to hone in on clues to the animal's food sources. By observing the animal's behaviors and body parts, students can speculate about the type of food the animal is suited to catch and eat. Since animals spend most of their time near their food sources, students can look around the area where they find an animal to pick out plausible foods.
This section also includes charts of information about six major groups of animals: Insects, Other Animals Without Backbones, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals. Within each of these major groups, the charts are divided into subgroups of related animals.
ABOUT THIS SECTION
When students find an animal, they can consult the charts to try to confirm what type of animal they've found and what it eats. Each chart provides information on the general and specific habitats of each animal, and on the animal's foods.
Habitat. Each chart includes a key to icons for six habitats that occur within or near schoolyards:
t!I Vacant Lots
'i) Lawns
~ Fields
~ Wooded Areas
o Deserts
«0 Grasslands
Students can tell which habitat(s) each animal is found in by looking at these icons under the "Habitat" column to the right of the animal name. Help your students decide
which one or two habitats characterize your study site so that they can scan the charts for these icons. The "Where Found" column provides more detailed habitat information for each animal.
Food Sources. These columns list the plants, animals, and other foods eaten by the entire family or genus of animals within a row. The word "herbs" refers to herbaceous plants, such as wildflowers. Your students' job is to determine which food sources the animal is likely to eat within the habitat they're exploring. Students will also want to take into account the seasonal availability of foods. A jay, for instance, will consume acorns in the fall and insects in the spring and summer. Students should also keep in mind that the food source lists are not always exhaustive. Many animals are opportunists, so although their main diet consists of certain foods, they'll often eat many other things in order to survive.
~ en
@
[ 2'
" ~ m n o ~
" ;3 Vl
2' P-~~.
'" '" ...
~ '0 '0 (1)
::l e:x ~
HOW TO FIGURE OUT WHAT AN ANIMAL EATS
An animars activities and whereabouts are often related to feeding. Where was the animal and what was it doing when you found it?
---
How does the animal get and eat its food? Look carefully at the animal's body parts. What action does the body part look suited fOr?
MOUTHPARTS
• -HUld-for grasping, tearing, and crushing parts of other animals, plant roots, stems, wood, leaves, buds, and seeds (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, beetles) note: some insects have mouthparts for chewing and for lapping flower nectar (bees, wasps)
drilling
for drilling into tree bark for insects (woodpeckers, nuthatches)
for piercing leaves, stems, seeds, or the bodies of other animals, to slurp sap or body fluids (true bugs, leaf hoppers, treehoppers, aphids, mosquitoes, some flies)
for grabbing small, delicate insects and worms (robins, -thrashers, wrens, orioles) note: some birds have beaks that can crack seeds and grab insects (chickadees, blackbirds, jays, doves, bluebirds)
f. J~l ... .. :.~. :;.: .. '
.!-
for sponging up microorganisms and liquids from decaying foods (houseflies, bees)
4 for sipping nectar from flowers (butterflies, moths)
for cracking seeds (grosbeaks, cardinals, sparrows, finches)
APPENDAGES
digging (front legs)
for digging into soil to suck plant root juices (cicadas, mole crickets)
11\~ \UJ
grabbing
for grabbing smaller, weaker or quick-moving prey (mantids, assassin bugs)
for collecting pollen (bees)
4>:1 ~I)
digging (back legs)
for digging into wood for pulp (beetles, wasps) or digging into soil for organisms (spadejoot toads, beetles)
for attaching onto food plants (moths, butterflies, beetle larvae)
~ o
\r1 VI"
~ ..... as ~
@
[ 2" it s;, go o ~ it a Vl ;: P-~~.
'" '" .. w ~
INSECTS
Grasshoppers (illusrrated above)
~ J Blowflies and
Houseflies
~ (illustrated above)
~ KEY: A Caution
HABITAT
e.~ $
e. ~ $O~
e. ~ O~
~~ $ ~
~
HABITAT
WHERE FOUND
between or under plant leaves; indoors
under moist soil; in high grasses and herbs; on the ground, bushes, and trees
in high grass or sparse vegetation; on or I stems, leaves below shrubs and trees; on the ground
on the ground; in grass; on herb stems and leaves; on leaves of trees and shrubs
on herb leaves, flower heads, and low shrubs
WHERE FOUND Grasses
e. ~ ~ I on plant stems and twigs stem sap $O~
in tall trees $O~
~ ~ I on leaves $0
~ $O~
~~ $ ~
~ $0
HABITAT
e.~~
on bark, twigs, leaves, pads, and stems of plants
in a froth of bubbles on herb stems and shrub twigs
in trees and shrubs; in grass
WHERE FOUND
near flowers, animal carcasses, dead plants, feces, and trash
caterpillars, fly larvae, cutworms, other insects, snails, slugs, earthworms
(a) adult (1) larva / nymph
Other
dead herb and grass ieaves
dead plants, fungi
Other
fungi
Other
INSECTS continued
~ Animals Other 0
~ HABITAT WHERE FOUND VI"
~ June Beedes ~~ I in soil in grassy fields
::.. tlO~ c:g Ladybug Beedes ~~~ on plants with insects on them I aphids, scale insects,
~ tlO~ mealybugs, mites
Leaf Beedes ~ ~ in weedy, open areas; in bushes; hiding leaves (1),
tlO~ on the ground; (rarely) on trees flowers (a)
Longhorned Beedes on flowers; near fallen trees or logs leaves, fruits, dead wood (1)
tI sap, roots, twigs (a)
~ on tree leaves, flowers, and mush- I fly larvae, springtails, mites, I fungi, dead tlO~ rooms; under bark; in leaf litter; under worms animals, dung
stones and logs; around decaying matter
TIger Beedes ~ ~ in sunny spots with dry soil and sparse ants, flies, other small tlO plants insects, caterpillars
~ on or in dead branches, stumps, and roots, stems, roots, stems, wood, needles, I dead wood, fungi
tI ~ logs; on tree leaves; on woody fungi; on seeds, flowers, seeds, flowers, other leaves or in acorns, nuts and other fruits; on fruits fruits all parts of herbs
HABITAT WHERE FOUND Grasses Herbs IShrubslVines I Trees Cacti Animals Other
Bugs ~ on blossoms of goldenrod and other flies, honeybees, butterflies, herbs moths, true bugs
~ on leaves honey bees, caterpillars, @ tlO beetle larvae, other insects [
Boxelder Bugs ~~ on tree trunks and buildings in sunny leaves. fruits 2' it tI locations g., m Damsel Bugs ~ near plants with insects on them I aphids, leafhoppers, tree-n ~ hoppers, small caterpillars ~ it 3 Plant Bugs on herb and shrub leaves; near the edges leaf sap leaf sap, small (j")
= of woods; on chainlink fences fruits 0-~~.
Seed Bugs in thickets; on herb leaves; in leaf litter seeds :;; '"' (illustrated above) ...
on plants berries, other Co..:» fruits 0') c.c A Caution KEY: ~ Vacant Lots ~ Lawns ~ Fields tI Wooded Areas o Deserts ~ Grasslands (a) adult (1) larva / nymph
~
@
[ ;: ;; g., m (l o
~ " 3 (j}
;: P..
~i
'" '" ...
~ "'0 (b
::l e:. X
.:P
II~~I:.'" I ~ continued
,~ Gossamer-winged Butterflies
Hairstreak Butterflies
.. ;: Other Large
:. Butterflies
S Satyr Butterflies
.. '; Skippers ;; ~
~ Sulfur and White p...; Butterflies .:. (White illustrated above)
~ Swallowtail • Butterflies t-
~ Larr Silkwonn ~ Mo s
Narrow V-winged Moths
Wide V-winged Moths
H~~ ~
Antlions
~ f. Earwigs
~ (illustrated above)
r.. ~ ~
Springtails ,. Tennites ~
KEY: A.Caution
HABITAT WHERE FOUND
~ in open sagelands; around trees, tilO~ shrubs, and flowers
~ in open wooded areas; in fields; at the til 0 edges of fields; around trees, shrubs
and flowers
~ around trees, shrubs, and flowers tilO~
~~ flitting about grasses and shrubs; til ~ weaving close to the ground
~~ visiting flowers; on wet mud O~
I!I~~ in sunny areas; around flowers O~
~~ around damp spots and flowers tilO~
I!I ~ on leaves (I); near flowers (a) til
on low herbs and cacti; in trees O~
camouflaged on tree bark; on tilO~ lichen-covered rocks
HABITAT WHERE FOUND
I!I~~ in pits in dry sandy soil espedally under tilO~ building eaves and bridges
I!I~~ in damp places under bark, logs, and tilO~ stones; in soil and leaf litter; on plants,
shrubs and trees
I!I~~ in leaf litter; in mosses; in rotting wood; til ~ in soil; on snow
in dead wood or soil; in cactus til 0 carcasses and dead yucca stalks
I!I Vacant Lots ~ Lawns ~ Fields
~ :r.I.1 '~'f.l'J tT4:1,'" Plants
.• Grasses~ Herbs ~]s~rUbsl ~. I): Animals Other . :. Trees Cacti •• Vmes ::.11
beetles, insects, slugs, other snakes, lizards, eggs, chipmunks, mice
grasshoppers, Crickets, moths, other snakes, toads, tree frogs, lizards, birds, eggs, rodents
insects, earthworms, other snakes, skinks, tree frogs, salamanders
Other
dead animals, mushrooms
Other
(a) adult (1) larva / nymph
~ <:>
~ vr
~ as ~
@
[ 2· ;;'
~ tTl n o ~ ;;' 3 ffl e 0-
_5'
'" '" ...
~
REPTILES continued
Anoles
Collared lizards A
Fence lizards
Homed lizards
Spiny lizards
KEY: A. Caution
HABITAT
~ 6)
o
~ «0
~ ~ 0«0
~'i 6)
6)0
~ 6)0«0
~ 0«0
o
WHERE FOUND
in rocky areas with low shrubs; in grassy areas; in moist areas with loose soil and trees; under rocks, leaf litter, logs, and trash
in rock crevices, sand dunes and flats; under bark, dead cactus pads, logs, rubbish, and yucca stems; near buildings and trash
in dry, disturbed, open areas with sparse plants; in leaf litter; in ditches; near gravelly soil; under shrubs; near trash; on fences
on trees, fence posts, walls, and shrubs; in tall grasses and palm fronds; in shady areas
basking on large rocks; in rock crevices; in hilly areas; near small rock piles
in sunny, brushy, rocky areas; near old buildings; on woodpiles and fences; in old woodrat nests; in banks with rodent burrows; in burrows under brush
basking on rocks; in dry, open areas with shrubs and loose soil; in sandy, gravelly drainage areas; on open patches of hard-packed sand; near sunny anthills
on rocks in sandy areas; in burrows under bushes; on tree trunks and sides of buildings
cones- earthworms, bird eggs, meadowlark [ants, grubs, weevils, only cankerworms-red-winged
blackbirds only]
berries, seeds seeds, cones, nuts
I seeds I seeds I fruits, berries I seeds, cones, I beetles, ants, bees, wasps, fruits, berries grasshoppers, caterpillars,
flies, [aphids-finches only]
$ Wooded Areas o Deserts «0 Grasslands (a) adult (1) larva / nymph
~ co
@
[ 2' n; ~ m n o ~ n; 3 Vl 2' "-~~.
'" '" ...
~ "0 ~ ::l e:-X
~
BIRDS continued
Jays, Crows, Ravens, and Magpies
Jays
Crows and Ravens
Magpies
Larks
Mockingbirds and Thrashers
Nuthatches
Robins and Bluebirds
Starlings
Swallows
Wrens
KEY: ACaution
HABITAT
~~~ tlO*
~~ tlO*
~ tlO*
~ 0*
~~~ 0*
tI
~~~ tlO
~~~ tlO*
~ tlO*
~ ~ tDO*
WHERE FOUND
in dense thickets; pine and oak woods; perched high in trees; on the ground
near roadsides and orchards; in open wooded areas; feeding in grass; near trash; nesting in trees or cacti
in open country and pine woods; near heary brush and brush piles; nesting in trees; on telephone wires
in open areas with brushy borders; nesting in grass or open patches of bare soil between desert shrubs
in brushy areas;· on dry hillsides; nesting in desert shrubs; flying between bushes; on ground picking through leaf litter
on tree trunks and branches; nesting in tree cavities
near abandoned orchards and roadsides; in open woods, clearings, and lawns; on fence posts; nesting in tree cavities-bluebird only
near orchards; on building ledges; nesting in cactus cavities
in cacti; near buildings and cOOs; flying overhead
on or near ground with leaf litter; in partly brush-covered areas; in rocky, brushy ravines; nesting in tree cavities; nesting in cactus arms-cactus wren only
r\~ ta-o !HABITAT! I[fj ~1~"·""-1f.i~ .'1 Animals Other
~ WHERE FOUND v:-
~ • Jwiiping Mice ~ ~ I in shrubs; under grasses; near wooded, I seeds I seeds, fruits I berries I caterpillars, beetles I mushrooms ~ _ ~ rocky areas .... '{§ ~ - Deer Mice ~ I in open or dense areas; in abandoned I seeds I seeds, nuts, I crickets, grasshoppers,
_ 0 ~ bird nests in trees; in hollow logs; cones, ,acorns, beetles under tree stumps; in rock piles; under seedlings low bushes
Rats Ale ~ I in burrows along foundations of I garbage, house-buildings; in rubbish piles and ravines; hold grains (occasionally) in fields near buildings
Voles I ~~ in matted grass; in burrows; leaves, seeds leaves, seeds bark, leaves, I insects I mushrooms O~ underneath shrubs seeds, acorns
White-footed Mice I ~ in thick, brushy, wooded and rocky seeds, acorns, - areas; in trees; in hollow logs; under nuts, cones, tree stumps; in rock piles fruits, roots,
seedlings
Woodrats I in cone-shaped nests near cacti; in stick seeds acorns, cones, I pads _O~ nests on the forest floor; in crevices in nuts, berries
cliffs and rocky areas
Pocket Gophers ! in underground burrows in loose, roots tubers roots of O~ slightly moist soil seedlings
Pocket Mice, in sandy areas with sparse vegetation; seeds, [leaves-'- seeds, [leaves-'- seeds, [leaves-'- I insects-'-pocket mice only Kangaroo Mice, 6l0~ in hardpacked soil; in wooded or grassy kangaroo rats kangaroo rats kangaroo rats and Kangaroo Rats foothills; in tiny burrows with entrances only) only) only)
under shrubs and cacti
@ Squirrels ;-
Chipmunks ~ in brushy and wooded areas; on stone berries, bulbs berries beetles, slugs, cankerworms, I mushrooms cones, acorns, g _0
walls; near trash cans nuts, seedlings earthworms ;:; 0
e~~ I mushrooms ;;; Squirrels on branches of trees; on the ground; berries acorns, seeds, beetles, caterpillars, bird n (illustrated above) _O~ sitting on boulders nuts, cones, buds, eggs, young birds 0
~ " 3 Vl Ground Squirrels on sandy flats near plants; on partly I leaves, seeds I leaves, berries, I seeds, leaves I fruits, seedlings I fruits, flowers I insects, eggs, birds I mushrooms
" e, _O~ wooded slopes; in open grassland; on _f), fence posts :; '" Woodchucks ~~ near plants; in open woods and fields; I leaves, roots I stems, flowers, I twigs I fruits ... - in ravines; along roadsides
~ KEY: A Caution e Vacant Lots ~ Lawns ~ Fields _ Wooded Areas o Deserts ~ Grasslands (a) adult (1) larva / nymph =
~.- ----_._--- .----------.~--
~ =
@
[ 2' ;:; s;., rr1 n o ~ ;:; 3 (fl
;:; "-~~.
'" '" ....
~ '0 (b ::l 8:-x »
MAMMALS continued
Porcupines
D """" Moles ~ ~ u..
~ Shrews (illustrated abooe)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
o l1li Rabbits and Hares
~ Cottontails ~ (illustrated abooe) ~
~ Jackrabbits
~ ~ Snowshoe Hares
~ (;II
Yl ~ Deer ~ (illustrated abooe) ~ • ~ ~ ~
KEY; ACaution
HABITAT
tDO
HABITAT
i)~ tD fO
~ tDOfO
HABITAT
i)~ tDOfO
OfO ~
tD
HABITAT
i)~ tDOfO
WHERE FOUND
on or in trees; in rocky dens; near desert shrubs
WHERE FOUND
underground in loose soil
in other animals' nests; in large masses of plants; at the base of desert plants; under logs; near rocky places; on <hy hillsides; in brushy areas
WHERE FOUND
in forests and dense thickets; sitting in small, scratched-out areas among clumps of grass; in desert trees
sitting in small, scratched-out places in shrubby areas; under desert shrubs
in small, scratched-out areas in thickets; near logs under trees; in hollow logs
