ANIMALS ADAPTATIONS

What is an adaptation?

An adaptation is a way an animal's body helps it live or survive in its environment.

There are different kinds of adaptations:

- Physical adaptations- Behavioral adaptations

PHYSYCAL ADAPTATIONS Animals depend on their physical

characteristics to help them get food, keep warm, resist heat, build their homes and attract mates.

These physical characteristics are called

physical adaptations.

Giraffes: very long necks•Adaptation to feed at high levels in the treetops. •Also help them to keep track of predators.•communicate with other giraffes over several miles. •Giraffes can run at very fast speeds

EXAMPLES

POLAR BEARS They live in the cold arctic.• How do they stay warm? They have a layer of fat under it

skin which helps them stay warm.

They also have a thick layer of fur.

• Why is their fur white? White fur helps them blend in

with the snow and ice.

• Why do polar bears have very wide, large paws?The wide, large paws help polar bears to walk in the snow.

Crazy Chameleonchange color

they can hide from predators and surprise their preys.

chameleon's eyes can move

separately!!! That helps it spot food and enemies.

Long tongue Helps it catch its

prey

FISHHow can they breathe under the water?Fish have gills which help them get oxygen from water.

Why do fish have fins?To help them swim.

Scales protect the fish

CAMOUFLAGE

• Is an animal's color or pattern that helps it blend with the environment.

• This adaptation helps animals hide.

• Camouflage is used to help animals attack their prey as well as defend themselves from predators.

See if you can find the animals in the pictures.

• It is important to remember that some animals can only blend into one environment. Look at this picture of the hare in the snow.

• Then look at the hare in the forest.

• Where is the hare more safe from predators? In the snow or in the forest?

• Another part of camouflage involves tricky patterns.

MIMICRY

• Is an adaptation in which an animal looks very much like another animal or object.

• Smaller, weaker animals have to imitate stronger animals to stay alive.

• If insects or other less powerful animals can trick their predators into thinking they are a different animal by the sounds they make, or the colors on their body, they just might survive a little longer.

It's hard to tell the difference isn't it?• One is a Monarch and very yucky to eat. The

other is a Viceroy and very yummy. If an animal eats a Monarch butterfly and HATES it, it will stay away from ALL butterflies that look like Monarchs. This helps the Viceroy because many animals mistake it for a Monarch.

Take a look at these two butterflies

Isn't this the scariest caterpillar you've ever

seen?

• It might look like a snake, but is really only a caterpillar.

• Its defense is to look like a SNAKE! That isn't a bad choice, because many animals are very afraid of snakes.

Can you guess which snake is the MIMIC?

• One of the snakes in the pictures is venomous and the other one is a mimic.

• Coral snakes are very easy to see because of their bright red, yellow, and black stripes. They are colored this way so that other animals know they are dangerous and will leave them alone.

• The Scarlet Kingsnake looks almost EXACTLY like the Coral snake, but it is perfectly harmless!