# Worksheet: how animals protect themselves (with answer key)

> Worksheet on how animals protect themselves: a 12-animal table, questions on mimicry, camouflage and autotomy, reflection and answer key.

Source: https://panduanhewan.org/en/learn/worksheet-how-animals-protect-themselves/ · Updated 2 October 2026 · English · Bahasa Indonesia: https://panduanhewan.org/id/belajar/lkpd-cara-hewan-melindungi-diri/
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## Activity 1

Write how each animal protects itself. Choose from: camouflage, mimicry, autotomy, rolling up, spines, poison, venom, warning colours, smell, ink, playing dead.

1. House gecko
2. Sunda pangolin
3. Javan porcupine
4. Spotted seahorse
5. Female great Mormon butterfly
6. Asian common toad
7. Javan spitting cobra
8. Greater blue-ringed octopus
9. Asian palm civet
10. Bigfin reef squid
11. Copper-headed trinket snake
12. Javan slow loris

## Activity 2

1. What is the difference between camouflage and mimicry? Give one Indonesian example of each.
2. Why does a gecko's dropped tail keep wriggling?
3. What is the difference between poisonous and venomous animals? Name one example of each.
4. A friend says, "A bunglon is a chameleon and always changes colour to hide." How would you correct this?
5. Why should we never pull a gecko's tail or handle toads and snakes?

## Answer key

1. House gecko: Autotomy (drops its tail)
2. Sunda pangolin: Rolls up; also squirts a smelly liquid
3. Javan porcupine: Spines (rattled as a warning)
4. Spotted seahorse: Camouflage
5. Female great Mormon butterfly: Mimicry
6. Asian common toad: Poison
7. Javan spitting cobra: Venom (can be spat)
8. Greater blue-ringed octopus: Warning colours and venom
9. Asian palm civet: Smell (gland spray)
10. Bigfin reef squid: Ink
11. Copper-headed trinket snake: Playing dead (thanatosis)
12. Javan slow loris: Venom

- 1. Camouflage means blending in with the surroundings, for example the spotted seahorse. Mimicry means looking like another living thing, for example female great Mormon butterflies that resemble bad-tasting butterflies.
- 2. The moving tail distracts the predator so the gecko has time to escape.
- 3. Poisonous animals are harmful when touched or eaten, such as the Asian common toad. Venomous animals inject toxins by biting or stinging, such as the Javan spitting cobra or Javan slow loris.
- 4. Indonesia's bunglon lizards are agamids, not true chameleons. Colour change can also be linked to signalling, not only to hiding; for example, breeding male oriental garden lizards turn reddish.
- 5. Pulling the tail can make a gecko lose it for no reason. Toads such as the Asian common toad are poisonous and many snakes are venomous, so we could get hurt.