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Picking off the peppered moth
Written by: Dr. Biology
Camouflage: use of colors and patterns to blend into the surrounding area in order to hide... more
Organism: a living thing that can be small like bacteria or large like an elephant.
Predator: an animal that eats other animals to survive. For example, a lion is a predator... more

Moth Hunting

Peppered Moths
Two different colors of peppered moths. Click for more detail.

Get your beaks ready, it's moth-hunting time. If you don't have a beak or you aren't used to hunting moths, don't worry. The game you are about to play is still a good example of the fight for survival that all organisms take part in.

Moths and birds are just a few of the organisms that must try to find food and avoid being hunted if they are going to survive.

With the Peppered Moths simulation, you take on the role of the hunter and learn at least one reason why you might eat one moth instead of another. As you select certain moths, you can change how many dark or light moths there are in the population.

And if you want to go a bit deeper into the adaptation story than the game will take you, visit our peppered moth story and associated lesson: Sooty Selection.

Play Peppered Moth Game
Click image to play the peppered moths game

Play the Peppered Moths Game

Click on the "Bird's eye view" icon to play the game, but don't miss out on learning about the peppered moth life cycle or Dr. Kettlewell's experiments.

Happy moth hunting!

Play the game

 


 

Peppered Moth Simulation: Ask A Biologist tries to ensure proper permissions before posting items on this website. For this game we have not been able to identify or contact the current copyright owner. We acquired the game at peppermoths.weebly.com. If you have information regarding the copyright owner, please contact Ask A Biologist using the feedback link in the gold box to the right.

Additional images via Wikimedia Commons. Peppered moth front view by Jerzy Strzelecki.


You may need to edit author's name to meet the style formats, which are in most cases "Last name, First name."
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/peppered-moth

Bibliographic details:

  • Article: Picking off the Peppered Moth
  • Author(s): Dr. Biology
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: 25 Mar, 2015
  • Date accessed:
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/peppered-moth

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (Wed, 03/25/2015 - 11:39). Picking off the Peppered Moth. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/peppered-moth

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Picking off the Peppered Moth". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 25 Mar 2015. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/peppered-moth

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Picking off the Peppered Moth". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 25 Mar 2015. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/peppered-moth

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
Peppered moth
When peppered moths match the color of their surroundings, they can avoid certain predators. Learn more about the peppered moth with our story, The Peppered Moth: A Seasoned Survivor.

 

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