Animal Physical Adaptations toad Animal Physical Adaptations Essential Question: How do animals’ physical adaptations help them survive in their environments?

Animals have certain adaptations that help them to survive. Have you ever wondered how animals are able to survive in the wild? Animals have certain adaptations that help them to survive.

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

1. Concealing Coloration Coloration and protective resemblance allows 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.  

Frog (Concealing Coloration)

Fish (Concealing Coloration)

Moth (Concealing Coloration)

Alligator (Concealing Coloration)

2. Disruptive Coloration (stripes, spots, & patterns) These creatures are colored so that their outline is broken up so that they will not stick out and be easily seen.

(Disruptive Coloration) Zebra: Although it may be easy for you to find the zebras, lions are color blind and only see stripes that look like tall grass. (Disruptive Coloration)

Disruptive Coloration

Disruptive Coloration

Similarities What is similar about concealing coloration & disruptive coloration?

3. Disguise These creatures blend in with their surroundings usually by their body shape.

Leaf Insect

Stonefish

Cuttlefish

Grasshopper

4. Mimicry These creatures look like other animals who are more dangerous than themselves. I’m the Viceroy! Not poisonous Poisonous I’m the Monarch!

Coral Snake and King Snake Red touches black, you’re okay Jack. Red touches Yellow, you’re a dead fellow.

Differences What is different about mimicry & disguise?

Recall What are 4 types of protective coloration?

5. Chemical Defenses like venom, ink, sprays

Snakes

Octopus

Box Jellyfish

claws, beaks, stingers, armor plates, horns, teeth, shells, etc. 6. Physical Structures claws, beaks, stingers, armor plates, horns, teeth, shells, etc. The elephant’s trunk is a physical adaptation that helps it to clean itself, eat, drink, and to pick things up.

Horns

Claws

Name the 6 kinds of adaptations that help an animal or plant survive.