Adaptations

1. Adaptations help an animal survive in its environment. PHYSICAL BEHAVIORAL are body structures that allow an animal to find and consume food, defend itself, and to reproduce its species. Each organism has unique methods of adapting to its environment by means of different actions. Laurella, 2012

2. PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS Camouflage (use of color in a surrounding) Mimicry (looking or sounding like another living organism) I’m the Viceroy! I’m the Monarch! Chemical defenses (like venom, ink, sprays) Body coverings & parts (claws, beaks, feet, armor plates, skulls, teeth) Laurella, 2012

3. BEHAVIORAL Learned Instinctive These behaviors happen naturally & don’t have to be learned. These behaviors must be taught. Obtained by interacting with the environment and cannot be passed on to the next generation except by teaching. Examples: Methods of gathering & storing food Hibernating Defending oneself Finding shelter Raising young Migrating Laurella, 2012

4. Animal Adaptations In your notebook, write down each animal (5) and its adaptations. Laurella, 2012

5. http://teacher.scholastic.com/dirtrep/animal/sharks.htm Sharks: Body Parts If you look at a shark, you will see it has a number of special adaptations that allow it to fit into an ocean environment. A shark has fins and a streamlined body that help it swim through water. It has gills, which take in oxygen directly out of the water. Because of its gills, sharks can stay underwater and not have to come to the surface to breathe. Sharks also have a tremendous number of sharp teeth, which make them fierce predators. In fact, if a shark accidentally breaks a tooth while chomping down on something, the tooth is almost immediatelyreplaced by another tooth growing in the jaw. With all these special adaptations, sharks do really well in the ocean, but it would be very hard for a shark to survive in the Sahara Desert! Laurella, 2012

6. Bears: Hibernation http://teacher.scholastic.com/dirtrep/animal/bears.htm • How would you survive the long, cold winter without food? Bears do it in a very cool way — hibernation. • Hibernation helps animals survive the changing seasons. Foods that bears eat, such as berries and flowers, are much less available during cold winter months. When they hibernate, bears enter a deep sleep. They remain safe by hiding in dens. The bears' body functions, such as heartbeats and breathing, slow down. While they sleep, the bears can survive because their bodies live off of their stored fat or food. It's like nature's built-in battery cell. That's why bears eat plenty during autumn, in order to store up fat. • Many other animals hibernate, from various birds and reptiles to mammals such as woodchucks and rodents. Laurella, 2012

7. Camels: Body http://www.rollinghillswildlife.com/animals/c/camelbactrian/index.html Bactrian camels are very well adapted to life in the desert. Their bodies have developed numerous traits to help the animal cope with the sand, wind, heat and cold that are commonplace in a desert habitat. Camels have broad feet that are adapted to walking on soft sands. The walking surface has a soft pad made of an elastic layer of connective tissue. Camels have several adaptations that protect them during sandstorms. They have slit-like nostrils that can be closed down tightly, and heavy eyebrows and eyelashes to protect their eyes. Camels also have a see-through third eyelid that can close over their eyes during sandstorms, but still allow them to see where they are going. Bactrian camels have many special adaptations to help them survive the extreme temperature fluctuations of the Gobi Desert. Winter temperatures can dip as low as -22 F. During the winter, Bactrian camels have long hair that is thickest on their humps, forelegs, head, neck, and tip of the tail. The coat is shed with the onset of warmer weather. Summer temperatures may reach 122 F. The camels have black skin that resists sunburn. The Gobi Desert receives little rainfall. Therefore, the Bactrian camels are adapted to conserve water. Camels can lose as much as 40% of their body weight in water and still survive. Contrary to some myths, they do not store water in their humps. They can store fat there that can be used for energy. One way that camels are able to conserve water is by concentrating their urine and dung. In fact, the fresh dung is so dry that it can be burned for fuel. Laurella, 2012

8. Lion: Body http://www.lpzoo.org/animals/factsheet/african-lion • Special Adaptations • The lion's archetypal roar is used to communicate with other group members and warn intruders of territorial boundaries. • Long, retractable claws help the lion to grab and hold prey. • The species' rough tongue helps it to peel the skin of prey animals away from flesh and flesh away from bone. • Loose belly skin allows the African lion to be kicked by prey with little chance of injury. Laurella, 2012

9. Salmon: Migration Click on link above to view salmon in action.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DqjsWsY8-g Adaptations- If you were confined to a watery domain you would have some adaptations similar to the Chinook. The name of the body layout is conservation. For one, you would most certainly have a more streamlined body like the salmon. This crucial adaptation allows you to glide smoothly and effectively though the water, conserving valuable energy. Even the very mechanisms that would propel you through the water are adapted for low drag. The second adaptation you would have to acquire to be more like the great Chinook is rugged fins. The salmon’s fins are not only built for endurance but for the necessary bursts of speed to attack its prey when the time is just right. These quick bursts are primarily derived from the fish’s utilization of its oversized tail fin. And when it comes to feeding, the Chinook doesn't bother too much with the whole chewing idea. This adaptation also conserves energy. The salmon has a single row of small but razor sharp teeth that hold the prey in place before it swallows it whole. So kids, if your parents keep harping on you about chewing your food, you can simply explain that you are following the ways of the king, the king salmon. Probably the most useful adaptation that is shared by almost all of the fishes is the evolution of the lateral line. The lateral line system utilized by fish is a long sensory organ made up of numerous sensory hair cells that pick up the slightest vibrations in the surrounding water. This system is very important in detecting prey and avoiding predators. Imagine combining touch, sight, and hearing into one sense and you can maybe imagine what it would be like to have said lateral line.http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2009/obry_jere/Adaptations.htm Laurella, 2012