Animals, Plants, and Nature in

the Wild. Is it Darwin’s Survival

of the Fittest?A marsh in New Mexico's Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge reflects a group of Sandhill cranes. How is a group of cranes helpful for survival?

Emperor Penguins with baby, in

Antarctica. What life process is being shown

here?

A trick of light seems to give an extra pair of feet to this phalarope bird, seen from below the water. What are the feet designed for? Did this trait maybe evolve?

The 88 butterfly (Diaethria neglecta) of Brazil displays the unusual design. How could it deter a predator?

Australia’s birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) can have a wingspan of nearly 8 inches (20 cm). Does color help it survive? How?

A male blue morpho butterfly’s wings shine iridescently. What does “iridescent” mean?

The peacock pansy butterfly (Junionia almana) sports striking eyespots and purple patterns. Why a brown color?

Gerbera daisies highlight the coloration of a spicebush swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus). Why is black good?

A rainbow stretches over a section of the 670-mile-long (1,100-kilometer-long) Denali Highway in Alaska

How

would a road effect anim

al life?

A rainbow is reflected in Arctic icy waters in Canada's Foxe Basin

As ice melts, m

ore sun hits the w

ater. What happens?

Rainbow car. Since a rainbow is an optical illusion, it doesn't have an actual endpoint. Instead, a rainbow's position continually shifts depending on the viewer's perspective.

How have cars effected the world? The fittest animal to survive cars would ….?

Beads of dew cling to the florets that spiral inside a sunflower head. What are florets? How is this good?

Sharp spines (leaves) erupt from the skin of a prickly pear cactus in the Galápagos Islands. Why spines?

Red tulips fill Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. What ways are color helpful to a flower?

Palm leaves, called fronds, are traditional symbols in many religions. What else can they be used for?

Black on white stripes ripple across a Grant's zebra.

Or is it w

hite on black? Why the contrast?

A map puffer fish's eye appears like coral to casual observers in Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands.

Okay, so w

here does this fish hang out?

A giraffe's spots form irregular patterns. Why irregular? Is that helpful for survival?

Rings and dots mark the coat of a jaguar (Panthera onca).

Does this m

imic a butt

erfly?

Bird feathers create a colorful show. What makes flight so beneficial for survival?

African elephant's skin can be up to one inch (2.5 cm) thick.

How

is thick helpful? H

armful?

Boa constrictors use heat-sensitive scales to locate prey.

What other benefits w

ould this serve?

A nontoxic dye highlights water currents surrounding sea urchins. How does this help them survive?

A sea urchin’s vivid purple spines appear ready for action. What action are the spines designed for?

Women in an India desert getting water. Why travel together? Why so many clothes?

The Agree/Disagree ChartPurpose: To get organized so you can support a

position for, or against, Darwin’s Theory on Survival of the Fittest.

Competition and Darwin’s Survival of the

Fittest

1. Survival is active even today.

2.The unique traits to survive are numerous.

3. Survival explains the many differences.

4. Every organism is subject to change.

5. Even the human race is in competition.

Before Viewing After ViewingAgree AgreeDisagree Disagree