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*QUESTIONS* |
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NAM*AN*IMALS back to the main welcome page 
QuestionsIncredible animal inquiries and their answers 
WikipediaLook something up. 
Site MapLinks to every page on this site Got a question you don't see here? Want to know the answer? Ask it below: |
Over the years, Students and Student Leaders have asked Lafcadio a lot of great questions. Lafcadio already knew the answer to some of them, but some required a little research. Here are a few of the latter. Q: Are arthropod exoskeletons made out of keratin? A: No. The exoskeletons of arthropods are made out of chitin (pronounced "KAI-tin"). Chitin can also be found in the cell walls of fungi and in the beaks of cephalopods. If you look at the Latin and Greek words above the fireplace in the Bat Cave (or on this website in the extra tips section of the Bat Cave cue card), you may notice the Greek word, "chiton," which means "a tunic." A tunic is a simple garment that covers the torso. Chitin is similar in structure to cellulose, which forms the cell walls of plants. Keratin (CARE-uh-tin), on the other hand is a structural protein found in hair, horns, hooves, claws, fingernails, reptile scales, turtle shells, bird beaks, and feathers (spider silk is also classified as a keratin, though it's not quite the same as the hoof-hair-horn type). Keratin also comes from a Greek word found in the Bat Cave; "karas" is the Greek word for "horn." Q: How do chameleons know what color to become? A: Contrary to popular belief, chameleons do not change color to "match" their surroundings. Their skin changes color as a response to changes in light, temperature, health, or emotional state. The color pattern a chameleon exhibits most of the time tends to match its natural habitat (just like camouflage coloration in any other animal), but in chameleons, the color can alter as a response to physical or emotional stimuli, or as a means of communicating to other chameleons. Chameleons have four layers of transparent skin, and each layer has special cells responsible for a different color or type of color effect. The color of the skin at any given moment depends on how many cells in each layer are active or inactive. The chameleon has about as much control over these cells as a human who changes color by blushing. The myth of matching may have arisen from people removing chameleons from their habitat (thus causing stress and different colors) and then returning them home again a few minutes later and watching the chameleon relax and return to its natural camouflaged state. Q: Why does the Rubber Boa's tail look like its head? A: Rubber boas have a tendency to curl up into a ball with their tail sticking out of the top of the pile. It was previously thought that the tail was intended to look like a false head, but this defense is ineffective against a rubber boa's natural predators. The real reason the rubber boa has a blunt tail is because of extensive scarring. The rubber boa's preferred food is nestling mammals (baby mice, shrews, etc.) and the snake will frequently consume the entire nest without bothering to constrict the prey first. This can make a mother mouse angry. The snake will use its tail to fend off the mother while continuing to eat the young with its other end. Rubber boas have even been known to make striking motions with their tails to keep the mother away from the rapidly dissappearing pile of babies. Because of this feeding tactic, it is extremely rare to find a wild rubber boa with a pointy tail intact. |
