Ministry of Science and Education of the Russian Federation

MBOU "Average comprehensive school№1"

EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT

"WHY WOULD THE TIGER HAVE STRIPS?"

Performed:

Chukhlantseva Daria Ilyinichna

teacher primary school

Sarapul, 2016

1. Collect information on this topic.

2. Make a conclusion.

3. Prepare protection.

Research hypotheses

1. Suppose a tiger needs stripes to be invisible in its habitat and to surprise its prey.

2. Let's say that the tiger fell into the mud and became striped.

3. It is possible that the tiger is allergic to stripes.

4. What if the strips are needed to recognize your relatives?

Research methods

Survey, observation

Work plan:

A) look in books

The tiger is the largest cat. The length of its body reaches three meters, the length of the tail is one meter, and sometimes its weight exceeds 250 kilograms.

The habitat of the tiger is thickets of the tropical forest. There, the sun's glare illuminates the earth in different ways, sometimes dark green, sometimes bright green, sometimes brown or black shadows appear. Tigers still live in Asia, but those that live to the north are larger and their fur is thicker and lighter than that of their southern relatives. Usually tigers are reddish-yellow in color with black stripes. There are no two tigers with the same stripes. Each has its own unique pattern on the skin.

There are also tigers - Albinos. The color of their "fur coat" is white with black stripes. And very rarely there are completely white tigers. These tigers have blue eyes.

Most often this animal can be found in thickets. rainforest. Here the sun glare can illuminate differently earth's surface- so, it can be dark or bright green shades, brown, orange, black and so on. The same method also helps the beast to hide from other predators (although few people can defeat a tiger in battle).

b) ask others

A survey was conducted among friends and relatives on the topic: “Why does a tiger need stripes?”.

3 people said they didn't know.

8 people - they said that they were disguised to attack the victim.

1 person - said that the tiger fell into the mud and got dirty.

B) make an observation

A representative of the cats also lives at my house - the cat Izolda Vladlenovna. She is a bit like a tiger in color. And when she lies on the bed, it is difficult to notice her, since the bedspread and the cat are almost the same color. I conducted a survey of friends and relatives who have cats at home. In most animals, the color is striped or spotted.

D) look online

According to research scientists from the University of Bristol in the UK, the spots and stripes on the skin of tigers are a kind of camouflage. Scientists also reported that the color of these predators can change relatively quickly in the process of evolution.

The study showed that the tabby color has a relatively small number of feline species, although the stripes are very effective remedy disguise. “Among the 35 species of cats we studied, only tigers have striped coats, and tigers live in the jungle, not in meadows with tall grass that casts striped shadows, so it is unlikely that the habitat is the reason for the formation of this color. However, the coloration of the tiger allows it to be almost invisible in the jungle, and it is not clear why the striped coloration is relatively uncommon among cats and other mammals, ”the scientists say.

As for the coloring of this wild predator, then it entirely depends on its habitat. It, like almost any other animal, develops over a long period of time and matches the colors and shades of the places where the tiger lives.

Draw a conclusion for each hypothesis

The assumption that the tiger needs stripes to be invisible in its habitat and suddenly attack its prey has been confirmed in Internet sources and books.

The rest of the hypotheses have not been confirmed.

Specify further ways study of the topic

1. Find out which animals use "camouflage" and for what purposes.

2. To study how people use the color properties of animals.

Information sources used

Books:

1. big cats. Tiger // Tree of knowledge: a collection magazine. - Marshall Cavendish, 2002. - S. 315-318, 597-598.

2. Brie Bernard. Wild cats. Myths and legends. M.: Dialogue, 1995. - 48 p. - ISBN - 5-85980-049-5.

Per. from French T.G. Arana.

3. Sokolov V.E. Five-language dictionary of animal names. Mammals. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under general edition acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M.: Rus. yaz., 1984. - S. 109. - 10,000 copies.

4. Yudakov A. G., Nikolaev I. G. Ecology Amur tiger. According to winter stationary observations in 1970-1973. in the western part of the Middle Sikhote-Alin. - M.: Nauka, 1987.

Internet resources:

1. Wikipedia. [Electronic resource]\\ Access mode: Retrieved 20.10.2015

2.Reports on the topic. [Electronic resource]\\ Access mode: Retrieved 20.10.2015

3. Research Why does a tiger need stripes? [Electronic resource]: Scarlet sails. Access mode: Date of access 20. 10. 2015

Wild cats are graceful and beautiful predators. Their independence and vitality are legendary.

At the same time, no matter what kind of species you encounter, it is always clear that it is felines in front of you. And this is one of the main features of these animals - monomorphism, scientifically speaking. They differ only in size and color. Moreover, there is also no sexual dimorphism in color, that is, males and females do not differ in either hairline features or color.

Scientists note that spots are the most primary type of animal coloration.

“If we look at all 39 species, then two-thirds will have a spotted color. Some have spots only in cubs, for example, in a lion and a cougar, but later they disappear, and the animals become monotonous,” said the deputy director of the Institute of Ecology Problems and evolution named after A.N.Severtsov Russian Academy Sciences Sergey Naidenko.

© MROO "Tiger Center"

© MROO "Tiger Center"

Mustachioed - Striped

The tiger is the only "purely striped" feline. This tropical view, formed in southeast Asia, in an open area with tall grass. Although residents middle lane it seems that this is a very bright predator, in fact, vertical stripes among the trunks and branches of trees make it almost invisible, said Ekaterina Blidchenko, senior Researcher Federal State Budgetary Institution "Land of the Leopard", zoologist at the Center for the Rehabilitation of Tigers and Other Rare Animals (MROO "Tiger Center").

Black stripes, interspersed with red, create a good protective color. Despite the presence of a bright color in the color, the tiger merges perfectly with its surrounding conditions, especially in autumn forest, as well as in summer period in dense thickets.

The color helps when he tries to sneak up on the victim. It is difficult to find a tiger in the forest, besides, it moves very carefully, smoothly and slowly.

Since tigers are not capable of long-term pursuit of prey, they have to rely solely on camouflage color. Thanks to him, the predator can get as close as possible to the prey. Therefore, the success of the hunt is directly related to how close the tiger can get to the prey.

Big cats hide before an attack or in danger, dissolving in the forest, where the play of light and shadow prevails. The vertical stripes of the tiger help to be unnoticed among tree trunks and grass.

The remaining types of cats are either spotted or mixed - spots with stripes. Perhaps this is due to the fact that tigers were the first to separate from the common ancestor of the panther genus (earlier than the leopard, jaguar and lion). And it was this color that was optimal for those conditions: tropical forests, floodplains, tall grass, shady forests of the taiga.

Hunting for survival

The pattern on the body of tigers and leopards is individual, it's like human fingerprints. Thanks to this pronounced pattern, it is possible to distinguish individuals. This color in animals is associated with the lifestyle of these predators, said Ekaterina Blidchenko. Hunting is a very laborious process and is impossible without good camouflage.

The Far Eastern leopard separated from its counterparts from Africa, India and South-East Asia about 200 thousand years ago and settled in the eastern provinces of China and in the southwest of Primorsky Krai. This predator has thick and long fur, which distinguishes it from other subspecies that are completely unfamiliar with harsh winters.

But the Far Eastern leopard is also distinguished by color and pattern on the skin. If the African counterpart has small spots and scattered over yellow-beige wool, then the Far Eastern predator wears a bright yellow-orange fur suit, which has solid black spots. different sizes and rosette spots.

It is hard to believe that an animal with such a color can be overlooked, but in fact it is the perfect disguise. In the wild, it becomes almost invisible and merges perfectly with the landscape - due to the spots, the effect of light scattering is achieved and it is difficult for the eye to see a predator.

"There was a case when we were engaged in marking Far Eastern leopards. The predator fell into a trap and lay in the bright sun, pressed to the ground. It was very difficult to see it, there were branches, leaves, stones around, and it merged with them," Sergei Naidenko shares his memories.

© Press service national park"Sailugemsky"


© Press Service of the Sailyugemsky National Park

How to avoid attention - the way of the snow leopard

One of the rarest and most secretive large cats living in Russia is the irbis (snow leopard). It is very difficult to detect it. Scientists admit that they can explore the territory for months, but never see this beautiful and cautious cat. At the same time, according to the traces left along the routes, one can unmistakably assert that the curious leopard is always nearby and closely monitors the movements of strangers on its territory.

Go unnoticed snow leopard not only extremely cautious behavior helps, but also a color that perfectly camouflages a large cat in nature.

The color of the leopard varies slightly depending on the region. In winter, the main color of the fur of the snow leopards becomes a light, grayish, almost white tone with a smoky coating. This coloration perfectly camouflages the beast among the dark rocks, gray stones, white snow and ice. In summer, the animals lighten up: the general background of the summer fur becomes almost white, and the spots on it look more contrasting. The smoky coating disappears in the summer.

Laziness as a reason for disguise

Another master of disguise is manul. This cat is so clumsy that only a perfect disguise helps him get food. It belongs to one of the laziest animals.

This wild cat appearance embodies careless, lazy sluggishness - short paws, thick fur, displeased expression of the muzzle. This feline really dislikes running - rare circumstances will force him to do so. And this predator does not know how to jump, which is rather strange for cats.

Manul - the only cat that has not changed at all in 12 million years - has retained its original clumsy beauty. How does a wild cat get along with a person? Why is it still not well understood? What influence does the pika have on this animal? In our material, experts will answer these and other questions.

The wool of manuls has a uniform reddish-gray color. And only on the back and lush sideburns dark stripes are noticeable, and small dark spots adorn the top of the head. There is one characteristic in appearance, manul - at the tip, each hair is colored in White color. Due to this, it seems that the animal's hair is covered with frost. This allows the wild cat to guard its prey as discreetly as possible.

Most of the cat species formed about two million years ago, but this happened in different conditions. And they also had to adapt to the world around them in different ways: someone runs great, someone swims well. And each species needs its own color in order to merge with nature and not frighten off a potential victim.

Smirnov Andrey

Purpose of the study:

answer the question "Why does a tiger need stripes?"

Research objectives:

  • find out what color tigers have;
  • find out what a masking color is;
  • find out which animals use "camouflage" and for what purposes;
  • study how people use the color properties of animals.

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MOU "Lyceum of Economics and Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship No. 10"

G. Pskov

Research work on the topic:

"Why does a tiger need stripes?"

Job prepared

Smirnov A.Yu.

2b grade student

Supervisor

Baskal N.P.

WORK PLAN

1. Introduction

2. The purpose of the study:

Answer the question "Why does a tiger need stripes?"

3. Research objectives:

  1. find out what color tigers have;
  2. find out what a masking color is;
  3. find out which animals use "camouflage" and for what purposes;
  4. study how people use the color properties of animals.

4. Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

In the lesson of the world around us, we studied cats. Relatives of domestic cats are lions, tigers, panthers, cheetahs. All of them have different colors.

Lion - sand color, no spots. The cheetah is spotted.

Panther is black. Tiger is striped.

I was interested in the question: Why are tigers striped? Why does a tiger need stripes? In my work, I tried to answer this question.

  1. What is the color of tigers

The tiger is the largest cat. The length of its body reaches three meters, the length of the tail is one meter, and sometimes its weight exceeds 250 kilograms.

The habitat of the tiger is thickets of the tropical forest. There, the sun's glare illuminates the earth in different ways, sometimes dark green, sometimes bright green, sometimes brown or black shadows appear.Tigers still live in Asia, but those that live to the north are larger and their fur is thicker and lighter than that of their southern relatives. Usually tigers are reddish-yellow in color with black stripes. There are no two tigers with the same stripes. Each has its own unique pattern on the skin.

There are also tigers - Albinos. The color of their "fur coat" is white with black stripes. And very rarely there are completely white tigers. These tigers have blue eyes.

2. Masking color

Studying the literature on this issue, I noticed that many animals have a color similar to the color of their habitat.

Coloring that helps animals to be unnoticed is called camouflage or camouflage.

Camouflage - protective (camouflage) coloringanimals, resulting from adaptation to environment. Some types, for example,chameleon, octopus, squid orflounderable to change the color of the body to match the color of the environment.

Why do animals need camouflage coloration?

3. How animals use camouflage

To preserve life, nature endowed animals, for example, giraffes, with such a camouflage coloration that when giraffes stand in a group of umbrella acacias, among the burnt bushes of the African bush, under the sheer rays of the sun, the mosaic of shadows and sunspots seems to dissolve, eat up the contours of animals.

The English writer R. Kipling in The Jungle Book describes this phenomenon as follows:"Having stayed for a long time half in the shade, half in the light, under the changing pattern of shadows falling from the branches of the trees, the giraffe became spotted, and the zebra striped ... and the leopard ran around and wondered what happened to his breakfast and lunch ... ".

Scientists are still looking for an exact explanation for the coloring of zebras.

There are several hypotheses.
First hypothesis:to fool the predator. At a distance, a herd of standing zebras is not immediately noticeable among the vegetation, and when zebras are lying it is difficult to determine how many there are. When zebras move, their stripes are not visible at all - like the spokes of a bicycle wheel.

Second hypothesis:to know family. The drawing on the head of each zebra is unique, like human fingerprints, by it even from afar, relatives will recognize it. Thanks to such a unique coloring, the leader stallion easily gathers his runaway family, the mother zebra quickly finds her baby among a large nomadic herd.

Third hypothesis:stripes on the skin make zebras invisible to tsetse flies. This vicious fly easily distinguishes between wild monotonous antelopes and livestock, and the outline of zebras, blurred due to stripes, sees poorly.

But, for example, a lion lives in a dry, sandy savannah, and its skin should correspond to the colors that prevail in this place. The prey must not see the lion before he sneaks up on her enough close quarters. Therefore, the skin of a lion is dyed the color of sand and dry grass.

Many animals: insects, lizards, birds, mammals - have a green, yellowish-green or brown-green color. These animals live among meadow plants or hide in the green foliage of trees. In their environment, they are very little visible.

Desert animals look completely different. They are usually painted in sandy-gray and brown colors. Suffice it to recall the coloring of camels - "ships of the desert" or Przewalski's wild horse. Many rodents, birds, snakes and lizards are painted in the colors of the desert. Thus, the color of the desert animals merges with its general natural background.

Most animals icy deserts Arctic and tundra ( polar bear, snowy owl, ptarmigan, etc.) are white in color.

A lot of animals that have a hiding color change it seasonally.

It turns out that there are animals that, in accordance with the change in the color of the environment, can change the color of their body. The color of the environment changes with the movement of the animal and with various natural phenomena that change the situation. Many animals are able to change color in such cases - some slowly, others very quickly. by the most famous representative is a chameleon.

Even more interesting are animals that, in accordance with the change in the color of the environment, can change the color of their body. The color of the environment changes with the movement of the animal and with

Chameleons - familylizardsadapted to an arboreal lifestyle, capable of changing body color. The color of chameleons can quickly change from light - whitish and orange, through yellow and green to purple, and then completely black or dark brown. These color changes can occur both on the entire body of the animal and on its individual parts, accompanied by the appearance and disappearance of various kinds of stripes and spots.

It also changes color very quickly. sea ​​fish flounder.

All the examples given show that the coloration of very many animals corresponds to their natural environment. Due to this coloring, the animal is imperceptible to other animals.

4. Use of camouflage coloring by humans.

Since ancient times, people have noticed that due to the coloration, animals are almost invisible against the background of the earth, grass, trees, and they also began to use "camouflage". The Indians living in the jungle painted their bodies in colors to hide them in ambush, put on feather headdresses in order to get more game on the hunt.

Modern humans use camouflage clothing and painting techniques.

5. Conclusion

Studying the coloration of different animals, I came to conclusion:

The tiger is painted with black stripes, which are completely similar to the stripes of shadows that, under the bright illumination of the southern sun, cast the stems of numerous plants of the Indian jungle where the tiger lives. The stripes make it invisible in its habitat, which allows it to attack the victim suddenly. Tigers are not the best runners, it is important for them to get close to the prey before the decisive jump. This is where the stripes come to the rescue! Thanks to them, tigers merge so well with the surrounding area that it is difficult for other animals to distinguish them.

The tiger needs the stripes for camouflage!

While working on the topic, I drew Special attention on albino animals.These are animals suffering from a congenital lack of pigment (melanin) in the body. That is why they are white.

Deprived of masking coloration and standing out sharply among their relatives, albino animals attract increased attention of predators, becoming their victims in the first place, but albino predators cannot sneak up on prey unnoticed and get their own food. Therefore, in wild nature albinos rarely survive. They are usually found in zoos where people take care of them.

I also have a feline representative at home - Shika the cat. It is striped and looks a bit like a tiger. And when he lies on the bed, it is difficult to notice him, since the bedspread and the cat are almost the same color. I conducted a survey of classmates who have cats at home. In most animals, the color is striped or spotted.

  • www.beartsarland.narod.ru
  • www.chamaeleon.ru
  • www.wikipedia.org.ru

    • http://fotosbornik.ru/wallpapers/378/1.html

    http://images.yandex.ru

    The animals didn't always look the way they do now. In ancient times, the raven was white, like clouds floating across the sky on a sunny day, and the tiger did not have a single dark stripe on its skin. The tiger was very proud of his golden skin, because its color was another confirmation of his royal origin. The only thing that darkened the days of the tiger was the rumor of the wisdom of man. The tiger was proud of his strength, which surpassed the strength of all other animals, but he really wanted everyone in the forest to talk about his wisdom as well. However, everyone spoke only about the wisdom of man. And gossip parrots, the first to know the news, and light antelopes, frightened by their own shadow, and even snails, never leaving their house - all spoke of the wisdom of man. And then the tiger decided to find out what human wisdom is.

    One day, coming out of the jungle, the tiger met a buffalo dragging a plow across the field. Behind the plow a little boy and urged the buffalo on with shouts, and sometimes whipped it with a long twig. When the buffalo brought the furrow to the end of the field and the boy ran to the stream to drink, the tiger approached the buffalo and asked:

    Listen, buffalo, how is it that you, so big and strong, allow yourself to be driven by a little man and even endure his beatings?

    The man is really small and weak, - answered the buffalo, - but he has a mind, therefore all animals obey him.

    The tiger did not like this speech very much, but then the boy who was plowing the field returned, and the tiger, looking dismissively at him, said:

    Listen, you small man I heard so much about your mind that I wanted to know for myself what it is. Won't you show me your wisdom

    Yes, I have wisdom, - the boy answered, - but just today I was in a hurry and forgot it at home.

    Then run after her, - said the tiger, - I must definitely see your wisdom.

    The boy answered after some thought:

    Of course, I would go home, but I'm afraid to leave my buffalo here, you can eat it. Let me bind you to make sure that even if you have such a desire, you will not be able to fulfill it. On this condition, I will go to the village and bring you my wisdom.

    The tiger agreed, and the boy tied him tightly with vines. Having tightened the last knot, the boy picked up a thick bamboo stick from the ground and began with all his strength to beat the tiger on the head and all over the body, saying:

    It is for you! Watch attentively! That's my wisdom!

    The tiger could not recover from surprise and only goggled his eyes, then he roared in pain, trying in vain to break his bonds. The boy continued to beat the tiger until his hands ached. And then he dragged the bound tiger to the fire that was burning at the edge of the field, and threw it right into the fire. The ropes flared and burned, and the tiger, howling loudly in pain and fear, jumped out of the flame and ran away. The golden skin of the tiger was covered with black stripes of burns from burnt ropes, and these stripes remained forever. That is why now the whole body of the tiger is dotted with dark stripes.

    The buffalo, seeing how cleverly the boy had led the tiger, laughed with pleasure. He laughed so hard that he could not even stand on his feet and, falling to the ground, knocked out all his upper teeth. Therefore, even now all buffaloes in Vietnam do not have upper teeth.