1. Adaptations
Introduce the session - today we are going to look at how animals are adapted to move in different environments.
We will talk about:
Why animals need to move.
The different adaptations animals have to moving on land, through trees, through water and in air. 1

2. What is Adaptation?
“...the way in which a species becomes better suited to living in its environment.”
structures and behaviors that increase an organisms’ chance of surviving and reproducing in an environment.
Ask the class: Can you define the word “adaptation”?
Animals and plants are adapted in many ways to their environment. Adaptations allow them to live successfully in their habitat, for example they need specific adaptations to be able to feed, communicate, keep warm or cold, and of course to move. This is what we will focus on in this session. 2

3. Structural adaptations are physical characteristics that help the organism survive (keep warm or cold, feed, communicate, move, etc.) Ex: Thick layer of blubber of a polar bear is used to keep it warm in the artic temperatures
Ask the class: Can you define the word “adaptation”?
Animals and plants are adapted in many ways to their environment. Adaptations allow them to live successfully in their habitat, for example they need specific adaptations to be able to feed, communicate, keep warm or cold, and of course to move. This is what we will focus on in this session. 3

4. Structural adaptations- often used for defense to escape predators
Producing venoms/toxins to make predator ill or cause death
Camouflage- coloration of body covering to blend in surroundings
Poison dart frog
Four eyed butterfly fish
Copperhead

5. Movement Many methods: running, flying, swimming, etc.
We are going to look at adaptations specific for movement
There are many different methods of movement e.g. running, crawling, flying, swimming etc.
Different habitats present different problems to movement e.g. air friction, forest (navigating through trees), uneven ground surfaces, ice.
Some species are highly specialised and are adapted to moving in only one type of habitat. e.g. leopard seals – great swimmers and which enables them to be ferocious hunters in the water, but when they are on land they are rather cumbersome.
Other species are generalists, being adapted to move in a number of habitats e.g. otter can move efficiently on land as well as in water. 5
Good in water...
...cumbersome on land

6. Why move? American pika collecting food
Common warthog fleeing from cheetah
Why do animals need to move?
There are various reasons why animals need to move in order to survive - Discuss this with the class before revealing some of the possible answers.
To find food (the distance travelled will be determined by food preference and abundance)
To escape from predators (this can be in the form of a direct flight response seen here in the warthog, or such as the broken wing display seen in plovers, where adults create a distraction by appearing to be injured in order to draw predators away from their nest/eggs/young)
To disperse to new areas (to prevent competition between related individuals for limited resources – food, mates etc)
To find a mate (maintain genetic diversity by mating with unrelated individuals)
Grass snake hatchlings dispersing
Penguins pair with one mate

7. Adaptations to moving on land
Movement on Land
Adaptations to moving on land
Things to think about:
Speed vs. agility (mode of feeding dictates movement) :
Move to catch prey or to escape predators
Land may be open or have obstacles such as trees
Moving over different substrates e.g. sand, snow, mud
(What does it feel like when you run in sand?)
Firstly, we will look at some examples of how animals are adapted to movement on land.
There are numerous land habitats that land animals need to be adapted to move through, all of which may present different problems to movement.
Things to consider when moving on land:
The mode of feeding dictates how you will move on land. Either need to be fast to catch prey, or have special adaptations in order to escape, such as being able to leap, climb trees or just outrun a predator.
When the land is open (no obstructions) speed is an important adaptation. Agility is more important when avoiding obstructions such as trees.
Different substrates may also pose problems to movement on land. For example, if you’ve ever tried to run in sand its quite hard work, so species that live in deserts need to have adaptations to make moving more energy efficient, such as large feet to stop you sinking in the sand (for example the camel has wide feet that spread out over sand)
For the following four examples, you can ask the class to come up and annotate the pictures or just make suggestions as to how they may be adapted to their particular habitat type. 7

8. Snow Leopard
Meter long tail used for balance when walking across rocky cliffs
Short fore limbs and long hind limbs for agility in steep, rugged habitat.
Firstly, we will look at some examples of how animals are adapted to movement on land.
There are numerous land habitats that land animals need to be adapted to move through, all of which may present different problems to movement.
Things to consider when moving on land:
The mode of feeding dictates how you will move on land. Either need to be fast to catch prey, or have special adaptations in order to escape, such as being able to leap, climb trees or just outrun a predator.
When the land is open (no obstructions) speed is an important adaptation. Agility is more important when avoiding obstructions such as trees.
Different substrates may also pose problems to movement on land. For example, if you’ve ever tried to run in sand its quite hard work, so species that live in deserts need to have adaptations to make moving more energy efficient, such as large feet to stop you sinking in the sand (for example the camel has wide feet that spread out over sand)
For the following four examples, you can ask the class to come up and annotate the pictures or just make suggestions as to how they may be adapted to their particular habitat type. 8

9. Adaptations for living in trees
Arboreal Movement
Adaptations for living in trees
Things to think about:
Forested areas may not be continuous
Moving from one tree to another :swinging, jumping, gliding
Balance and grip (falling could be fatal)
Arboreal movement means movement through trees.
Movement in the trees poses a different set of problems to movement across open land.
Things to consider:
Forested areas may not be continuous: may need to move along the ground as well as through trees, and also may need specific adaptations to ascend and descend trees
There are different ways of moving between trees, for example jumping (grey squirrels), swinging (orangutans), gliding (sugar glider)
Balance and grip – due to the nature of moving through trees, species are often high up and a fall could be potentially fatal, therefore adaptations to grip onto branches and improve balance are very important.

10. Sugar glider
Adapted to moving between trees: Sugar glider
Bridging the gap – some species have developed adaptations to move between trees.
The sugar glider uses the membrane along its body (known as a ‘patagium’ ) to glide between trees, and can cover distances of up to 50 metres.
It is very agile in the air, using its tail to help control the direction of the glide.
It swoops upwards at the last moment to land on the next tree with precision, using its large claws to cling on.
Its feet are hand-like, able to grasp branches, aided by an opposable toe on its hindfoot.
Its tail is prehensile which means it is capable of grasping onto branches as well as helping with the steering when in the air.
Patagium (flaps on side of body) allow it to glide up to 50
meters
Tail used to control direction when gliding, grasp tree when
sitting
Feet are hand-like to grasp branches 10

11. Adaptations to aquatic movement
Things to think about:
Friction – causing drag
Buoyancy – saline (salt) vs. freshwater
Currents and tides
Now, lets take a look at some species adapted to movement through the water.
Locomotion in water can be quite difficult as it is much more viscous than air. If you’ve ever tried to run through water you’ll know how difficult it can be - this is because we’re not very well adapted to life in water.
Things to consider when moving through water:
Friction can cause drag and make movement through water inefficient. Species need specific adaptations to deal with this, for example a streamlined body shape.
Buoyancy is also a consideration when moving in an aquatic environment, and specific adaptations are needed to control a species position in the water column. Also, things are naturally more buoyant in salt water than they are in freshwater, animals that live in both (for example the Atlantic salmon) need adaptations to overcome the change in buoyancy.
Currents and tides can cause problems and make movement more difficult, particularly when travelling against them. 11

12. Spotted handfish Two different methods of moving through water
Adapted to moving through water and along the seabed: Spotted handfish
The spotted handfish is one of the world's most endangered marine fish.
It has an unusual adaptation to movement underwater: as well as being able to swim, it can also use its has hand-like 'paired fins' to 'walk' along the sea floor!
This video shows the spotted handfish walking along the sea bed: hirsutus/video-06a.html
Two different methods of moving through water
-fins used for swimming or walking along sea floor
Color allows it to blend into surroundings 12

13. Behavioral adaptations are actions that are used by an organisms to help it survive. Ex: Birds migrating south during the winter
Why? When fall turns to winter, temperature dips,
food sources become
scarce
Birds move to locations
where there is a constant
food supply and nesting
opportunities.
Adapted to moving through air: California condor
This is a species that is adapted to make use of thermals, with its broad wings (catching updrafts) and slotted feathers (these allow air to flow through the wing slots at faster speeds, resulting in less wind resistance and less pressure from above, giving the bird more lift).
With an impressive wingspan of just less than three metres, it can go for miles without a single flap of their wings once at a moderate elevation.
It has difficulty taking off from the ground, so prefers to roost on high perches from which it can launch without any major wing- flapping effort.
Although it is perfectly adapted to this mode of life, these adaptations mean it is not very agile and wouldn’t fare so well in a forested area. 13

14. Sea otters wind themselves up in the tops of kelp. Young otters must
learn this behavior from older otters.
Why? Prevents them from being swept
away from their ecosystem by
the tide.
Adapted to moving through air: California condor
This is a species that is adapted to make use of thermals, with its broad wings (catching updrafts) and slotted feathers (these allow air to flow through the wing slots at faster speeds, resulting in less wind resistance and less pressure from above, giving the bird more lift).
With an impressive wingspan of just less than three metres, it can go for miles without a single flap of their wings once at a moderate elevation.
It has difficulty taking off from the ground, so prefers to roost on high perches from which it can launch without any major wing- flapping effort.
Although it is perfectly adapted to this mode of life, these adaptations mean it is not very agile and wouldn’t fare so well in a forested area. 14

15. Bear Hibernating Why? When fall turns to winter,
temperature dips, food sources
become scarce
What occurs?
heartbeat drops from 55 beats/min to 10 beats/min
body temperature drops 5-9 degrees below normal
While in hibernation the bear uses stored energy it accumulated as fat to survive.  A bear can lose 15 to 40 percent of its body weight during the winter just by sleeping!
Adapted to moving through air: California condor
This is a species that is adapted to make use of thermals, with its broad wings (catching updrafts) and slotted feathers (these allow air to flow through the wing slots at faster speeds, resulting in less wind resistance and less pressure from above, giving the bird more lift).
With an impressive wingspan of just less than three metres, it can go for miles without a single flap of their wings once at a moderate elevation.
It has difficulty taking off from the ground, so prefers to roost on high perches from which it can launch without any major wing- flapping effort.
Although it is perfectly adapted to this mode of life, these adaptations mean it is not very agile and wouldn’t fare so well in a forested area.
animal adaptations | Search | Discovery Education 15