Island Living
Island life encourages animals to do thing differently
Use the words in the box to complete the sentences about life on islands around the world. Where there is a multiple choice,
choose the best answer.
Spines
predators
competition
herbivores
isolation
food chain
sanctuary
invasive
cold-blooded
eaten
Escudo off the coast of Panama
The pigmy three-toed sloth has no ____________.
Which resource is in short supply for the sloths?
A. Food
B. Space
C. Mates
D. Time
Komodo Island in Indonesia:
Komodo Dragons are at the top of the __________ ________. Food is limited on the island, but this is not a problems for the
dragons because they are _________ ___________. There only serious ______________ come from other Komodo dragons.
Komodo Dragons mainly compete for
A. Food
B. Space
C. Mates
D. all of these
Madagascar
Madagascar is one of the biggest and oldest islands. With time and _______________, its animals have adapted to take
advantage of every available niche. Lemurs on the island have few competitors. However the normal herbiivory relationship is
complicated because the plants the lemurs eat protect themselves with ___________
Fernandina Island:
Seagoing iguanas are vegetarians or ______________, and graze on the sea floor. By bringing nutrients from the sea to the land,
iguanas help other animals to survive here too.
Label the following as: mutualism, predator/prey, parasitism, or communalism (there may be more than one answer)
A. Crabs eat dead skin of the iguanas
__________________________
B. Smaller lizards prey on flies that pester the iguana colony
__________________________
C. Racer snakes try to eat the iguana hatchlings
__________________________
Subantartic Islands off New Zealand
For the Buller’s Albatross which of the following is the limited resource?
A. Food
B. Space
C. Mates
D. Time
Islands in warm tropical waters don’t experience seasonal extremes. The Seychelles, lying off the coast of East Africa provide a
_______________ for sea birds all the year round. However there are other problems besides the weather. Fairy Terns eggs are
______ by the fody bird.
The pisonia tree is called the bird catcher tree because:
A. Its roots and branches grow in patterns that resemble bird cages
B. Its seeds hitch rides on the bodies of the birds to other islands
C. Sometimes too many seeds attach themselves to birds and eventually kill them.
Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean ruled by crabs: Red crabs are threatened by _________ species of ants.
The chinstrap penguins live on a ‘relative paradise. What is part of the price they pay?
A. Sharks are nearby and ready to eat the penguins
B. Their path to food is very dangerous
C. Predator birds try to eat their chicks
D. Both b and c
The greatest threat animals face is change. Why?