Ch. 2 Lesson 1 Animal Adaptations pgs. 74-79 EQ: What are adaptation and how do they help animals survive?

Vocabulary Adaptation: traits or behaviors that help living things survive in their environment Hibernate: to avoid the cold by using very little energy and living off body fat Camouflage: when animals can hide by blending into its surroundings Mimicry: one kind of organism has similar traits to another organism

Behaviors Some adaptations are behaviors. One behavior is hibernation: it is when an animal lives off its body fat and uses very little energy. An animal hibernates to survive the cold weather when food is limited. A northern black bear is one example of an animal that hibernates. CLICK ME!

Surviving the weather Some animals survive by leaving places when the temperature becomes too harsh. Birds will migrate from cooler to warmer places. To migrate is to change location from time to time. Click me!

Did you know that these animals hibernate! Wood frog Deer mice Common poorwills (bird) Ground squirrels Skunks Hamsters Prairie dogs Bats Hedgehogs

Camouflage Some animals blend in with their surrounding and this is called camouflage. This helps animals hide. The artic hare (rabbit) and artic fox change color with seasons. In the summer their fur turns brown and in the winter their fur turns white.

Can you spot the animal?

Hover Fly is on the right and the honeybee is on the left. Mimicry Certain animals disguise themselves to look like other animals to avoid certain predators. When one living thing looks like another living things, it is called mimicry! A hover fly is one example of an animal that practices mimicry. It disguises itself to look like a honeybee. A honeybee has a stinger for defense and hover flies don’t. Predators don’t eat bees so the hover fly is able to protect itself.

Protection Many animals have body parts for protection. Some snakes have poison glands in their jaws that can hurt or kill a predator. Hedgehogs are covered with hard spines. If a predator approaches, it curls into a ball and no one will want to eat it.

Living Underwater For some animals, the ocean is the only place where they can live. The bodies of these animals are adapted to a watery habitat. Fish have gills for breathing. They have certain shapes for moving in the water. Their fins help them steer.