Hiding, warning, and tricking: insect survival tricks

Science · Insects & Minibeasts · ages 7-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What do a wasp's yellow and black stripes tell other animals?
- I am hungry
- Stay away, I can sting
- I am hiding
Which insect looks like a twig on a branch?
- Stick insect
- Wasp
- Hoverfly
A hoverfly can sting just like a wasp.
Circle one: True False
Why don't birds usually eat wasps?
- The warning stripes remind birds that wasps can sting
- Wasps are too fast to catch
- Wasps taste like leaves
A leaf insect has flat green wings with vein-like lines. Why does this help it survive?
- It makes the insect fly faster
- It makes the insect taste bad
- It makes the insect look like a real leaf, so predators miss it
Mimicry means a harmless insect copies the look of a dangerous one to stay safe.
Circle one: True False
Zara says: 'That insect has yellow and black stripes, so it must be a wasp that can sting me.' What mistake might Zara be making?
- Only wasps are ever yellow and black
- Stripes always mean the insect is friendly
- The insect could be a harmless hoverfly mimicking a wasp's stripes
Sam sees an insect shaped like a leaf sitting still among real leaves on a bush. He says it must be a leaf insect using camouflage. What is the best reason to trust his idea?
- All insects that sit still are leaf insects
- Camouflage works by looking like the surroundings, and this insect matches the leaves
- Leaf insects always move fast to escape

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Stay away, I can sting · Bright stripes are a warning sign that the wasp can sting.
Stick insect · A stick insect's long brown body blends in with real twigs.
False · A hoverfly has no sting. It only looks like a wasp to stay safe.
The warning stripes remind birds that wasps can sting · Birds learn to connect the yellow and black stripes with a painful sting, so they avoid wasps.
It makes the insect look like a real leaf, so predators miss it · Looking like a leaf is camouflage. Predators overlook the insect because it blends into the plants around it.
True · That is exactly what mimicry is. The hoverfly copies the wasp's stripes even though it has no sting.
The insect could be a harmless hoverfly mimicking a wasp's stripes · Mimicry can fool us too. A striped insect might be a harmless hoverfly copying a wasp's warning colours, not a real wasp.
Camouflage works by looking like the surroundings, and this insect matches the leaves · Camouflage means blending into the background, so an insect shaped and coloured like a leaf sitting among real leaves is a good example.