Created by Susan Warren Animal Adaptations Created by Susan Warren

Purpose To understand what animal adaptations are To explain why animal adaptations are important To explain different types of animal adaptations and how they serve different animals

Adaptation A body part, body covering, or behavior that helps an animal survive Example- A shark has fins and a streamlined body that helps it swim through the water. It has gills which take in oxygen from the water. They also have lots of sharp teeth. If a shark’s tooth falls out, it is replaced very quickly.

Behavior The actions of an animal Example-Raccoons usually live in the forests making their home in trees and eat everything from berries to fish. They usually come out at night which means they are nocturnal. Many times, a raccoon’s natural habitat, the forest, gets destroyed by humans building new homes and businesses. The raccoon has adapted to this change by finding homes in people’s houses in places like attics and storage sheds. They also rummage through trashcans for food.

Camouflage A color or shape in an animal’s body covering that helps it blend into its environment Example- The arctic fox has a brown coat in summer so it can blend into the environment, but in winter, its coat turns white so it will math the snow surroundings.

Environment Everything that surrounds and affects a living thing The environment includes non-living things like water and air, as well as living things like trees and other animals. Example- ponds, forests, oceans, jungles ponds forests oceans jungles

Habitat The place where an animal lives The physical characteristics of an animal’s surroundings Example- A clown fish’s environment would be the ocean, but his habitat would be where he lives…a sea anemone.

Instinct An inborn behavior A behavior an animal is born with and does not have to learn Example- A bear hibernates in winter. This means they go into a deep sleep. There food supplies are not as plentiful in winter so they sleep and live off their stored fat. They know to do this, they don’t have to be taught. It is an instinct, not a learned behavior.

Mimicry An adaptation in which an otherwise harmless animal looks like a harmless animal in order to protect itself An animal could use mimicry also to hide or blend into its surroundings. Example- Camo Moth, South African Speckled Emperor Moth This Camo Moth looks like a leaf. This South African speckled emperor moth has “eyespots” on its wings to make it look like a large animal.

Predator An animal that hunts and eats other animals for food There are different types of predatory behaviors like ambush, stalking, all of which rely on keen eyesight, sense of smell, speed, agility and sharp body parts. Often, predatory animals hunt in packs. Example- These wolves hunt in a pack. One wolf by itself could never take down this large animal.

Prey An animal that is taken and eaten by another animal (predator) for food Smaller predators, such as mice and lizards can be, and often are, prey for larger predators Example- This barn owl (the predator) has caught a mouse (the prey) for a meal.

Survive/Survival Using adaptations to continue to live Examples- Some smaller desert animals burrow below the surface of the soil or sand to escape the high temperatures at the desert surface. The enormous ears of jackrabbits, with their many blood vessels, release heat when the animal is resting in a cool, shady location. Their relatives in cooler regions have much shorter ears.