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Animal Adaptations

Animal Adaptations. An adaptation is a change in an animal’s physical structure or behavior that helps an animal survive in their habitat. Examples: The shape of a bird’s beak, number of fingers and toes, or the color of an animal’s fur.

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Animal Adaptations

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  1. Animal Adaptations

  2. An adaptation is a change in an animal’s physical structure or behavior that helps an animal survivein their habitat. • Examples: The shape of a bird’s beak, number of fingers and toes, or the color of an animal’s fur. • Physical adaptations do not develop during one lifetime, but over many generations. What is an adaptation?

  3. Example of Adaptation • The shape of an animal’s teeth is related to its diet. • Herbivores, such as deer, have many molars for chewing tough grass and plants. • Carnivores, such as lions, have sharp canines to kill and tear meat.

  4. All species have experienced adaptation and will continue to slowly adapt as the next generations are born. • We will identify certain species from each of these groups and the reasons for their success: • Mammals • Birds • Reptiles • Amphibians Who experiences adaptations?

  5. Mammals • Endothermic or warm-blooded • All have some type of “hair” • Some are very specialized, such as white polar bear fur • Method of locomotion • Care for young

  6. Birds • Leg Length • Roseate Spoonbill (top right) • Foot Webbing • Laughing Gull (top left) • Beak Shape • Long Billed Curlew (bottom)

  7. Reptiles • Ectothermic or cold- blooded • Scales • Some undergo hibernation and estivation • Lay eggs on land • Leg structure and position

  8. Amphibians • Ectothermic • Lay eggs in water • Partially of fully webbed feet • Have lungs or can absorb oxygen through their skin

  9. Animal Defense • Some animals use these methods of defense to protect themselves: • Camouflage • Snake • Mimicry • Mexican Milk Snake • Bright colors • Skunk and Poison Arrow Frog • “Hair” projections • Hedgehog quills • Deer Antlers

  10. Why are the eyes of a lion set in front of the head rather than on the sides? • Answer: Eyes in front of the head allow for depth perception and ability to judge distances when hunting. Adaptation Applications: Lions

  11. What is the purpose of the mane on a male lion?What is the reason for the lion’s color? • A thick mane helps the male to appear larger and serves as protection for the throat. The tawny brown coat color camouflages the animal and young among vegetation. Adaptation Applications: Lions

  12. Why are giraffes able to go for long periods of time without water? • Answer: Giraffes drink water when available, but can go weeks without it. They rely on morning dew and the water content of their food. Adaptation Applications: Giraffe

  13. How are their long necks adapted to their lifestyle? • Answer: This extra length is thought to have evolved to help the giraffe spot predators and other giraffes in the distance. Interestingly, giraffes and humans have the same number of vertebrate in their necks. Adaptation Applications: Giraffe

  14. How do zebras defend themselves? • Capable of running up to 40 mph. Zebras defend themselves by kicking and biting. Coloration also plays a role in evading predators, although theories have not reached an agreement. Adaptation Applications: Zebras

  15. Camouflage and Mimicry

  16. Have you ever wondered why animals have spots, strips, or certain colors? • Sometimes an animal’s colors can be a difference between life and death. • Animals use their colors to blend into the environment. • What is this called? Camouflage

  17. Camouflage is a type of animal adaptation. • What is an adaptation? • An adaptation is something that helps animals survive better. Adaptations

  18. Find the critters! Where’s the quail? Quail

  19. Find the deer! Deer!

  20. Can you see the frog?

  21. Mimicry Which snake is poisonous? • Animals may also try to look like other animals. • For example, non- poisonous snakes will rattle their tailand flatten their head to look poisonous to a predator. • This is called mimicry, where an animal tries to mimic or copy another.

  22. Another example of mimicry… • Another example of mimicry involves the monarch butterfly, which is toxic and very nasty to eat. Its bright orange coloration is a warning to birds to leave it alone. The non-toxic viceroy butterfly has developed colors and wing patterns that are very similar to those of the monarch and so most birds won’t take a chance by taste-testing it!

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