Question

a sea lion might have a hard time seeing a penguin swimming in the water. why?
a. sea lions cannot see the color black very well because it blends in with the snow and
b. when the sea lion looks up, the penguins white belly blends in with the bright colors
c. penguins swim very fast and they look like a streak zooming through the water.
d. a penguin becomes invisible when it swims in cold water.

Explanation:

To determine why a sea lion might have a hard time seeing a penguin in water, we analyze each option:

• Option a: Sea lions don't typically interact with snow, so this is irrelevant.
• Option b: Penguins have a black back and white belly. When a sea lion looks up from below, the penguin's white belly blends with the bright surface light (sky/bright water), and when looking down, the black back blends with the dark depths. This camouflage (counter - shading) makes it hard for predators like sea lions to see them.
• Option c: While penguins swim fast, the description of looking like a "streak" doesn't directly explain why they are hard to see in a way related to their appearance matching the water environment.
• Option d: Penguins don't become invisible in cold water; this is not a valid biological or optical reason for being hard to see.

Answer:

b. When the sea lion looks up, the penguin’s white belly blends in with the bright colors, and when the sea lion looks down, the penguin’s black back blends in with the dark colors of the deep water (or similar description based on the option text: When the sea lion looks up, the penguin's white belly blends in with the bright colors).