Monarch Butterflies Mystery Monarch Adaptation How Does it Help the Creature Survive? Click to enlarge photo Activity, Part 2: Take Another Look Show students this second image of the same structure. Ask: * What is different about this picture? * What new information does it give you? * Do you have any new guesses about what it is or how it helps the young monarch survive? * What questions do you have? Show students a video clip of one phase of metamorphosis (going from caterpillar to chrysalis). Next, listen to what monarch biologist, Dr. Brower has to say about what's happening. Tell students to look and listen for clues about what those funny little parts are and what they do. Video Clip Monarch Metamorphosis (.mpg file 192 Kb) Watch the caterpillar twist and turn as the chrysalis forms Audio Clip Hear Dr. Brower Explain (.wma file, 15 Mb) ( .wav file, 1.4 Mb) As a class, make a list of vocabulary words you heard. Work together to figure out or research the definitions. (If students don't pick these words out, you may want to play the audio clip again, or suggest them: metamorphosis, cremaster, chrysalid, silk, hooks.) Ask, After seeing the caterpillar in action and listening to Dr. Brower, do you know what part(s) of the monarch you've been looking at? How close were your earlier guesses? Challenge students to describe this part of the butterfly's life cycle using all of the new vocabulary words. Explain that some people think the mushroom-like things in the close-up pictures look a bit like hooks. Ask, What other types of hooks do you know of (e.g., fishing hook)? How do the hooks in the monarch's cremaster act like other types of hooks? Explain that when you look at things in nature, sometimes you can figure out what something does by asking, What does it remind me of? Making Connections — Discussion and Journaling Questions What do you think is the coolest thing about the monarch adaptation you observed? How does it help a monarch survive? What would happen if the monarch didn't have it? Can you describe any other neat physical adaptations that help monarchs survive in their habitats? (Which are more important during certain life cycle stages?) What about human physical adaptations (e.g., hair on our heads!)? Flower adaptations (e.g., aromas)? Digging Deeper: Hooked on Hooks! Nature-Inspired Products >> National Science Standards Science as Inquiry Ask a question about objects, organisms, or events. (K-4) Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, reproduction. (K-4) Life Science Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary nature of structure and function. (5-8) Biological adaptations include changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that enhance survival and reproductive success in a particular environment. (5-8)

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