Animal Adaptations

The Burning Question Have you ever wondered how animals are able to survive in the wild? Animals have developed certain adaptations that help them to survive in their natural habitat.

What is an Adaptation? An adaptation is a change in the physical structure or behavior that helps an animal or plant to survive in its habitat. Physical adaptations do not develop during one lifetime, but over many generations are location specific. These adaptations might make it very difficult for the animal to survive in a different habitat. This is why some animals are found in one area, but in another.

Adaptation Separation Adaptations can be separated into the following categories: Physical and Behavioral Physical Behavioral Instinctive Learned Teeth Claws Gathering & Storing food Finding shelter Hibernation Migration Defending oneself Raising young Hunting for food Warning calls Eating the right food Feathers Hooves Fur

Physical Adaptations Each animal has a unique defense mechanism that has evolved to the needs of their environment over thousands of years. In the animal world, they live by the laws of survival. The strong survive. Animals have many different defense mechanisms that can protect them against predators or gain them an evening meal. These are body structures that allow an animal to find and consume food, defend itself, and to reproduce its species. Some examples of physical adaptations are: Camouflage Mimicry Chemical defenses Body Coverings & Parts

Camouflage Camouflage means to blend into the natural background and go unnoticed. Animals, birds, reptiles, and fish use camouflage to evade predators.

Mimicry When one animal copies the appearance, actions, or sounds of another animal, the first animal is called the MIMIC. Sorta like a copycat. Generally, an animal will mimic another to avoid predators. If it can trick its enemy into thinking it is something less tasty or more dangerous, it will survive

Body Covering and Parts Over many generations, animals have evolved their adaptations for body covering and parts. This enabled them to better survive out in the wild. Types of body adaptations would be: Feet Claws Fur Feathers

Behavioral Adaptations Instinctive Behavior Adaptation is where an animal is born with the natural ability to know what to do in a particular situation. For example, when you run away from something unfamiliar and dangerous. Other examples would include: What to eat What to drink What to do to survive How to migrate

Behavior Adaptation Learned Adaptations come from watching other animals and from the animals life experience. By watching penguins dive off the slide of the ice berg, the killer whale know if he waited patiently he would get dinner. A blue jay learn to associate orange butterflies like the Monarch Butterfly, with a bad taste and an upset stomach.

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Closing How do organisms (living things) survive? What adaptations do organisms have that help them survive?