Adaptations

What are adaptations? Adaptations – an inherited characteristic that helps an organism to survive long enough to reproduce more successfully in its changing environment and can either be structural or behavioral.

How do adaptations help animals survive in their environment? An adaptation is a body part or behavior that helps an animal survive in a particular environment. Adaptation can help an animal breathe, catch food, or hide. All animals are adapted to live in certain habitats. Animals that cannot adapt will die out.

Physical adaptations help an animal survive in its environment. Physical adaptations are body structures that allow an animal to find and consume food, defend itself, and to reproduce its species. Physical adaptations help an animal survive in its environment. Hey! I’m a walking stick. I look just like a stick you’d find on the ground. © A. Weinberg

If red touches yellow, deadly fellow If red touches yellow, deadly fellow. If red touches black, friendly jack.

(looking or sounding like another living organism) Physical adaptation Mimicry (looking or sounding like another living organism) The Viceroy butterfly uses mimicry to look like the Monarch butterfly. Can you tell them apart? I’m the Viceroy! Not poisonous Poisonous I’m the Monarch!

Chemical defenses (like venom, ink, sprays) Physical adaptation Chemical defenses (like venom, ink, sprays)

Types of Structural Adaptations CAMOUFLAGE/COLORATION: blending in with the environment for protection from predators or to help sneak up on prey. Use: Obtaining food and protection

Structural Adaptations Definition: Actual body parts or coloration that help an organism survive in their environment. EX: camouflage, mimicry, bent hind legs, sharp teeth and claws, body structures.

Types of Structural Adaptations Bent hind legs – prey run fast to escape & predators run fast to catch prey Used for: protection, locomotion

Example of Adaptation The shape of an animal’s teeth is related to its diet. Herbivores, such as deer, have many molars for chewing tough grass and plants. Carnivores, such as lions, have sharp canines to kill and tear meat.

Types of Structural Adaptations Body Structures Predator – Eyes facing forward to find prey.

flippers wings Bent legs

We have been looking at structural adaptations of animals We have been looking at structural adaptations of animals. ADAPTATIONS ON THE BODY, but animals can also have behavioral adaptations. This type of adaptation cannot be seen on the body. It is the way an animal reacts or behaves in certain situations. In other words: INSTINCTS

In simple animals, behavior is governed almost entirely by instinct, meaning that it is pre-programmed by an animal's genes. In more complex animals, instinctive behavior is often modified by learning, producing more-flexible responses to the outside world.

Behavioral Adaptations Definition: Ways an organism act to help them survive in their environment. EX: Migration, hibernation, warning calls, mating dances, hunting in packs.

Behavioral Adaptations Migration - seasonal or periodic movement of animals in response to changes in climate or food availability, or to ensure reproduction. Migration most commonly involves movement from one area to another and then back again. Examples: geese, whales, salmon, Monarch butterflies

Behavioral Adaptations Hibernation – adaptive winter survival technique where animal becomes inactive and all body processes slow down. In cold weather most animals must eat large quantities of food to obtain the energy needed to carry on normal body activities. Examples: bears, chipmunks, squirrels, bats,

Behavioral Adaptations 3. Living in a Group – more eyes in a group to watch out for prey or predator, protection Examples: fish, wildebeest, walruses, lions

Behavioral Adaptations 4. Tool Use - any object manipulated by an animal in order to perform a specific task. (monkeys, otters, birds) 5. Playing Dead - By pretending that they are dead, some animals escape bodily harm. (snakes, possums)

Behavioral Adaptations 6. Calling – communication between animals 7. Threatening Gestures – scares off potential predators

Who experiences adaptations? All species have experienced adaptation and will continue to slowly adapt as the next generations are born. We will identify certain species from each of these groups and the reasons for their success: Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibians

Mammals Endothermic or warm-blooded All have some type of “hair” Some are very specialized, such as white polar bear fur Method of locomotion Care for young

Birds Leg Length Foot Webbing Beak Shape Roseate Spoonbill (top right) Laughing Gull (top left) Beak Shape Long Billed Curlew (bottom)

Reptiles Ectothermic or cold- blooded Scales Some undergo hibernation and estivation Lay eggs on land Leg structure and position

Amphibians Ectothermic Lay eggs in water Partially of fully webbed feet Have lungs or can absorb oxygen through their skin

Animal Defense Some animals use these methods of defense to protect themselves: Camouflage Snake Mimicry Mexican Milk Snake Bright colors Skunk and Poison Arrow Frog “Hair” projections Hedgehog quills Deer Antlers

Adaptation Applications: Lions Why are the eyes of a lion set in front of the head rather than on the sides? Answer: Eyes in front of the head allow for depth perception and ability to judge distances when hunting.

Adaptation Applications: Giraffe How are their long necks adapted to their lifestyle? Answer: This extra length is thought to have evolved to help the giraffe spot predators and other giraffes in the distance. Interestingly, giraffes and humans have the same number of vertebrate in their necks.