52 Nebraskaland • August-September 2019
MIXED BAG
T
he word headgear definitely
does not ooze a sexy persona,
but when it comes to animals and
their "headgear," this may mean
the difference between getting a
mate, surviving, or even thriving in
their environment. Many animals in
Nebraska have extensions on their
head that can be adaptations used to
help them in their environment. Let's
take a look at a few cases in Nebraska.
ANTLERṠHORNS This is probably
the most common type of animal
headgear. Animals that have antlers
include deer and elk, while horned
animals include bison and bighorn
sheep. Most of these animals have
these head extensions to defend
themselves from predators and to
fight members of their own species for
territory, and ultimately win the girl.
In most cases, only the males have
horns or antlers, but in some species,
females can have them too.
CRESṪCROWN When referring to
crests or crowns people are usually
talking about the top part of a bird's
head. Many birds have a distinct
crown shape with the peak either
closer to the back or front of the head.
Some species, such as blue jays, can
manipulate their crown by raising
and lowering their feathers to change
shape for courtship displays, to defend
territory or to show aggression.
ANTENNAE A key characteristic of
insects is to have antennae. However,
antennae come in many shapes, sizes
and forms. For instance in longhorn
beetles, their antennae can be
longer than the length of their body.
Alternatively, when looking at moths,
they have comb-like or feathery
antennae, which they use as smell
receptors to detect molecules miles
away.
FEATHERY GILLS belong to most
salamanders during their aquatic
tadpole stage. Here they have very
noticeable and feathery gills, which
they use to breathe in the water during
their "eft" or second phase of their
reproductive life cycle. When they
become adults, they will lose their
gills and produce lungs to breathe on
land with instead.
HOODS Something a little terrifying
to not only read about but actually
see in Nebraska is a snake with a hood
on its back. But not to worry, cobras
don't live here. It's an Eastern hognose
snake. When scared or threatened,
these non-venomous snakes will
widen or expand the extra skin
around their neck to resemble a hood.
This helps them look bigger a nd more
intimidating to predators and prey.
ANIMAL HEADGEAR
By Monica Macoubrie
PHOTOS
BY
(FROM
TOP
LEFT):
DEER–JSTOCK,
BIGHORN
SHEEP,
BLUEJAY–JUSTIN
HAAG,
MOTH–ERIC
FOWLER,
SALAMANDER
AND
HOGNOSE
SNAKE–STOCK.
