Animal Adaptations Chapter 3 Section 4

Types of Adaptation An adaptation is a characteristic that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment Also the ability of living things to adjust to different conditions within environment Structural adaptation Protective coloration Mimicry  Behaviour adaptations Migration Hibernation

Structural 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

Coloration Coloration and protective resemblance allow an animal to blend into its environment  Sometimes called camouflage Camouflage makes it hard for enemies to single out individuals  

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

Behaviour Behaviour adaptations include activities that help an animal survive Behaviour adaptations can be learned or instinctive Social behaviour   Behaviour for protection   Behavior adaptations include activities that help an animal survive.  Behavior adaptations can be learned or instinctive. (a behavior 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 Reasons: better climate better food safe place to live Adaptation that involves an animal or group of animals moving from one region to another and back again  Reasons: better climate better food safe place to live raise young return where they were born 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/Estivation Period of inactivity in which body temp., breathing & heart rate drop to conserve energy EX: 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. 

Obtaining Food Some animals have adaptations to help them obtain food EX: Chameleons Woodpeckers Anteaters

Predator-Prey Adaptations that serve as a defense against predators EX: Porcupine quills Bright markings Stripe patterns

Interactions Species can adapt to interact with one another EX: the honeycreeper and the lobelia plant Honeycreeper uses long, curved beak to reach nectar at the base of lobelia flower Pollen transfers to bird’s head which pollinates the next flower