Animal Adaptations

Types of Adaptation Anything that helps an organism survive in its environment is an adaptation.  It also refers to the ability of living things to adjust to different conditions within their environments.  Structural adaptation Protective coloration Mimicry  Behaviour adaptations Migration Hibernation

Structural adaptations A structural adaptation involves some part of an animal's body. Teeth Body coverings    Movement A structural adaptation involves some part of an animal's body, such as the size or shape of the teeth, the animal's body covering, or the way the animal moves.   Teeth - since different animals eat different things, they don't all have the same kind of teeth Body coverings - Hair, scales, spines, and feathers grow from the skin.  All of these parts help animals survive in their environments.   Movement - animals find food by moving from place to place

Protective Coloration Coloration and protective resemblance allow an animal to blend into its environment.  Another word for this might be camouflage.  Their camouflage makes it hard for enemies to single out individuals.  

Mimicry Mimicry allows one animal to look, sound, or act like another animal to fool predators into thinking it is poisonous or dangerous.   Coral snake (left) very poisonous & Milk snake (right)

Behaviour adaptations Behaviour adaptations include activities that help an animal survive.  Behaviour adaptations can be learned or instinctive. Social behaviour   Behaviour for protection   Behaviour adaptations include activities that help an animal survive.  Behaviour adaptations can be learned or instinctive. (a behaviour an animal is born with). Social behaviour - some animals live by themselves, while other live in groups.  Behaviour for protection -  An animal's behaviour sometimes helps to protect the animal.  For instance the opossum plays dead.  A rabbit freezes when it thinks it has been seen. 

Migration Animals migrate for different reasons. better climate better food safe place to live safe place to raise young go back to the place they were born. This is when behavioural adaptation that involves an animal or group of animals moving from one region to another and then back again.  Migration-is the behavioural adaptation that involves an animal or group of animals moving from one region to another and then back again.  Animals migrate for different reasons.  The reasons are as follows. better climate better food safe place to live safe place to raise young go back to the place they were born.

Hibernation This is deep sleep in which animal’s body temp droops, body activities are slowed to conserve energy. E.g. Bats, woodchucks & bears. Hibernation- is a deep sleep in which an animal's body temperature drops to about the temperature of the environment.  Body activities, such as heartbeat and breathing are slowed causing the animal to need very little food.  Animals that hibernate are  bats  woodchucks snakes  bears. During the hibernation the animals live off of the fat that is stored in their body.