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Animal Adaptations
5th Grade Life Science

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

3. Who is more fit to their environment?
That’s better!
Polar bears are not naturally found where there are brick walls and dirt.
The brown bear blends in with the flora found in the Canadian wilderness.

4. Think about the way you dress in the winter.
You don’t wear your shorts and bathing suit when it’s snowing outside!
You wear warm clothes, and maybe even a hat and mittens to protect yourself from the weather.

5. And what if you are having a snowball fight?
You probably run away from the person throwing at you, and maybe even try to sneak up on that person and throw some snowballs!

6. The way you dress in the winter, as well as the way that you run and hide from someone throwing snow at you are kinds of …
Adaptations

7. We can separate adaptations into two categories:
Physical
and
Behavioral

8. 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.
Physical adaptations help an animal survive in its environment.
© A. Weinberg

9. Camouflage (use of color in a surrounding)
Physical adaptation
Camouflage (use of color in a surrounding)
The chameleon can change its color to match its surroundings. Can you do that?

10. (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!

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

12. Physical adaptations
Body coverings & parts (claws, beaks, feet, armor plates, skulls, teeth)
The elephant’s trunk is a physical adaptation that helps it to clean itself, eat, drink, and to pick things up.

13. Behavioral Adaptations…
Now let’s learn about
Behavioral Adaptations…
Behavioral Adaptations allow organisms to respond to life needs.

14. Behavioral Adaptations are organisms’ actions.
Remember that physical adaptations are body structures.
Each organism has unique methods of adapting to its environment by means of different actions or behaviors.

15. We can divide Behavioral Adaptations into two groups:
Instinctive
Learned
These behaviors happen naturally & don’t have to be learned.
These behaviors must be taught.

16. = Instinctive behaviors happen naturally & don’t need to be learned
Methods of gathering & storing food
Hibernating
Defending oneself
Finding shelter
Raising young
Migrating

17. Learned behaviors
Obtained by interacting with the environment and cannot be passed on to the next generation except by teaching. =

18. animal adaptations. Review . . .In this lesson, we have learned about
There are 2 ways to describe adaptations:
Physical
and
Behavioral

19. Physical adaptations are body structures.
Some examples of physical adaptations are:
Camouflage
Mimicry
Chemical defenses
Body coverings & parts

20. Behavioral Adaptations are animals’ actions.
Behavioral Adaptations can be
Instinctive or Learned.

21. How do adaptations help animals survive in their environment?
Remember, 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, protect itself, get water, or reproduce.
All organisms are adapted to live in certain habitats.
Organisms that cannot adapt will become ill or perish.
Organisms that are adapted to their environment will reproduce and make offspring with the same adaptations.

22. Adaptation Questions on TAKS
TAKS likes adaptation questions.
For these, think about the environment the organism is in and what its MOST important needs are!
Examples
Desert species need water, cooling system
Tundra species need to keep warm
Saltwater species need to remove extra salt, breath underwater

24. Animal Adaptation Purposes
Control Body Temperature
Polar Bear - thick fur and blubber
Desert Animals – Nocturnal – long ears

25. Animal Adaptation Purposes
Getting Food
Shape of a Bird's Beak
Parrot - short curved for cracking
seeds and nuts
Duck - Long, flat for sieving
Long-legged Wader –
spear-shaped for catching fish
Hummingbird - long straw-like

26. Animal Adaptation Purposes
Getting Food
Finch – On Galapagos Islands, gold finches
have 3 different types of beaks depending
on what they eat
Seeds – thick, heavy beak
insects – sharp, pointed beak
fruit – short, stubby beak
Giraffe - long neck
Anteater - long tongue

27. Animal Adaptation Purposes
Getting Food
Shape of a Bird's Beak
Carnivore – sharp pointed teeth for tearing
Herbivore – flat teeth for grinding

28. Animal Adaptation Purposes
Protection from Predators
Hedgehogs - sharp spines
Turtles and Snails - shells
Skunk- spray chemicals
Bees and wasps - sting

29. Animal Adaptation Purposes
Protection from Predators
Brown moth - color blends into environment
Flounder – buries itself in the sand

30. Animal Adaptation Purposes
Movement
Squirrel - climb trees
Duck - webbed feet to push
through the water

31. Animal Adaptation Purposes
Movement
Camel – wide feet to move over sand
without sinking in; feet have calluses
to help protect them from burning on
the hot sand
Owls – fringed flight feathers
muffle the sound of air passing
through their feathers making
their flight silent

32. Plant Adaptation Purposes
Leaf Shape
Large Leaves -Rainforest plants so
can get more sunlight
Evergreens – Don’t have to use energy
to re-grow leaves each spring

33. Plant Adaptation Purposes
Water Conservation
Cacti - thick trucks and branches to
store water; shallow roots to absorb
rain
Waxy Layer on leaves - prevents water
from evaporation

34. Plant Adaptation Purposes
Protection from Predators
Thorns - keeps animals from eating

35. Plant Adaptation Purposes
Reproduction
Colors – attract insects so they will
spread the flower’s pollen

36. TAKS Questions

37. 1 Brightly colored flowers are most often pollinated by —
F wind
G mammals
H rainfall
J insects

38. Characteristics of a Hummingbird
2 All of the characteristics listed above are useful for gathering food EXCEPT — A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4
Characteristics of
a Hummingbird
1. Colorful feathers
2. Narrow beak
3. Small body
4. Strong wings

39. 24 Which part of a jackrabbit most helps it escape predators?
F Long legs
G Thick fur
H Short tail
J Small head

40. 25. The African baobab tree has a huge trunk that can store as much as
25 The African baobab tree has a huge trunk that can store as much as 100 kiloliters of water. This adaptation would be an advantage in a climate that is very —
F cold
G dry
H windy
J sunny

41. 27 Which skull belongs to an animal best adapted for catching and eating fish?
A C
B D

42. 29. The mole is an animal that digs tunnels. Which of the following
29 The mole is an animal that digs tunnels. Which of the following characteristics would NOT be an advantage to a mole?
A Sharp claws
B Large ears
C Small eyes
D Strong legs

43. 30. Some salamanders have a sticky tongue and a wide mouth lined
30 Some salamanders have a sticky tongue and a wide mouth lined with teeth. These animals most likely feed on —
F insects and other tiny animals
G leaves and other plant structures
H algae and other microorganisms
J dead and decaying materials

44. 31 As seagulls fly over the water, they sometimes dive into the water to catch prey. Which of these senses is useful to seagulls that feed in this manner?
A Sight
B Smell
C Hearing
D Touch

45. 32. Which of the following characteristics would NOT give animals
32 Which of the following characteristics would NOT give animals an advantage in the ocean?
F Long body hair
G A smooth body
H Structures that sense movement
J A strong sense of smell

46. 33. The type of penguin shown in the picture above lives in the icy
33 The type of penguin shown in the picture above lives in the icy lands of Antarctica. The male penguins huddle together in a tight
group. They stay in these tight groups most likely because they are —
F looking for the sun
G hiding from predators
H sharing body heat
J fighting over a piece of food

47. 34 Which of the following characteristics of a field mouse is most likely inherited from its parents? F Brown fur G Torn ear H Scar on its leg J Chipped tooth

48. 35 Which of the following is an inherited trait in African clawed frogs? A The location of wave detectors on the frogs B The location of the frogs in a pond C The number of insects eaten by the frogs in an hour D The number of times the frogs look for insects in an hour

49. 36. Coyotes learn some of their behaviors as they move around in
36 Coyotes learn some of their behaviors as they move around in their environment. Which behavior is most likely learned?
A Running
B Drinking water
C Avoiding cacti
D Sleeping

50. 37. Raccoons living in cities have learned to open lids of garbage
37 Raccoons living in cities have learned to open lids of garbage cans. This is an example of an animal —
A adapting to its environment
B inheriting the ability to change its diet
C being tamed by humans
D becoming a plant eater

51. 38 Which of these is an example of a learned behavior?
A C
B D

52. Shake and Learn Lyrics Practice singing
Match pictures and descriptions
Worksheet
Extension: Bulletin Board Set

53. Website Fun…