Survival of the fittest! Adaptations Survival of the fittest!

All living things have certain adaptations to survive All living things have certain adaptations to survive. If they didn’t, they would die and become extinct eventually. Here are some of the different kinds of animal adaptation: Migration, Hibernation, Camouflage, Mimicry, Metamorphosis, Unique Defenses, Special Adaptations.

Camouflage Many animals have camouflage which helps them blend into their surroundings by matching the scenery. One of the most famous animals for camouflage is the chameleon who changes skin color depending upon where it is located at the time. Some more animals and insects that have camouflage as an adaptation are zebras, grasshoppers, rattlesnakes, and star fish.

Mimicry Some animals have the ability to ‘Mimic’ or ‘copy’ other animals or organisms. This helps them hide from or scare away their predators. The walking stick is known for being excellent at mimicry. He can look exactly like a stick so that predators don’t even see him. There are some species of butterfly that mimic other poisonous butterflies so their predators stay away. The “Mimic Octopus” is known for changing into whatever it wants at almost any time!

Unique Defenses Most animals and insects have some sort of defense that is unique to them. This allows them to defend themselves against predators. An amazing example of a Unique Defense would be a puffer fish. A puffer fish can blow itself up to twice its size so that it cannot fit inside its predators mouth! Can you do that? Other organisms with awesome defenses are the scorpion’s tail, snake’s venom, cat’s claws, bee’s stingers, a cacti’s spines and electric eels.

Migration Some animals have the instinct to migrate or “move” from one place to another to help them survive or reproduce. Most birds are known for migrating from the north to the south every winter to avoid the cold. Other animals that migrate are salmon, sea turtles, gray whales, and caribou.

Metamorphosis Most insects go through metamorphosis or ‘stages in growth’ to help them survive and reproduce. Metamorphosis can be “Complete” with 4 stages (egg, larva, pupa, adult) or “Incomplete” with 3 stages called (egg, nymph, adult). Monarch butterflies are known for their beautiful transformation from egg, larva, pupa and finally, a gorgeous adult. Other insects that go through metamorphosis are beetles, praying mantises, frogs, ants and spiders.

Special Adaptations Lots of animals have special adaptations that other animals don’t have. This helps them to survive and adapt in their environment. The most well known special adaptation is the hump on a camel’s back. The camel’s hump allows it to store water for long periods of time. Since it rarely rains in the desert, this is an important adaptation for sure. Other examples of special adaptations are flying squirrels, a polar bears layer of fat, an elephant’s trunk, a giraffes long neck, an insect laying hundreds of eggs and a bird’s beak

What’s the Point? The point of all of this is for you to understand that all living organisms (even plants) have some sort of adaptation---EVEN US! Our adaptation happens to be our super intelligent brain . Without adaptations many animals would die out and become either endangered or extinct. For example: Long ago, the dinosaurs were not able to adapt to the suddenly freezing climate—this led to their extinction.

Quizlet Time Name an 3 animals or insects that use camouflage as an adaptation. When an animal moves from one place to another, it is called _____________. Name a unique defense of all sharks. What is an adaptation? Four stages most insects go through is called complete ____________. Name 3 adaptations of a polar bear. Name 3 adaptations of the camel. Why do you think when an insects lays hundreds of eggs, it is called an adaptation? Name an animal that mimics another to avoid danger. Name as many kinds of adaptations as you can. There are 7 in all.