adaptation in animals – the idea that certain animals have developed features which help them survive in their environme

1. adaptation in animals – the idea that certain animals have developed features which help them survive in their environment

3. Elephants • Elephant's bodies are well adapted for survival in the rugged conditions of Africa. These special adaptations include:

4. Elephants • The TrunkThe elephant's trunk does so much more than smell. This "hose nose" is also used for drinking (actually blowing water into the mouth), communication, feeding, chemo-communication, offense/defense, touching, lifting, greeting, caressing, throwing dust, and just about any other activity an elephant is involved in.

5. Elephants

6. Elephants • EarsIn the hot African climate, keeping cool is a constant challenge. Believe it or not, an elephant's enormous ears (weighing up to 110 pounds each), while exceptionally good at picking up sound, are also used as an air conditioner of sorts. When the temperature rises, elephants flap their ears. This cools blood flowing through vessels in the ears, which then flows back to the body, cooling it in turn.

8. Giraffe • Giraffes have many obvious physical adaptations to help them survive in the African savannas.

9. Giraffe • Camouflaged coat - Patches of different sizes and colors help hide the giraffe in the African savanna. • Fringed tail - A fringe at the end of the tail keeps flies and other pests away.

10. Giraffe • Long neck - It is used to reach leaves in tall acacia trees. • Long front legs - Unlike many animals, the giraffe's front legs are longer than the hind legs. These long front legs make it easier to reach tall leaves.

12. Echidna • An Echidna is a mammal and is also known as the Spiny Anteater. An Echidna's body is covered with long sharp spines set in short fur. These spines are the Echidnas defense mechanism. When attacked, it rolls itself in a tight ball and burrows out of reach.

13. Echidna • Echidnas have no teeth, but uses a long sticky tongue to penetrate ant and termite nests, which they have gauged open with their strong ripping claws.

14. Echidna • Shelter is where ever the echidna finds it and this could be in logs, under bushes or in caves. They are 35 - 45 cms long and can weigh 2-7 kg. The Echidna has a spur on its ankle but it is not poisonous.

16. Gecko • At 28 cm long, The Round Island Day Gecko is the largest of 27 species of day geckos. The smallest day gecko is only about 8 cm long. Most day geckos are bright green in color. The Round Island Day Gecko is probably the dullest looking one of all. It lives on palm trees and is perfectly camouflaged against the brown bark of the main stem of the tree.

17. Gecko • Geckos have special feet to help them climb up smooth surfaces. The flattened toes have elongated scales. A microscopic view would show thousands of tiny, hooked bristles that can hold on to any surface. This means they can easily climb up palm trees, as well as hide on the underside of leaves.

18. Gecko • They also have sharp teeth to penetrate the exo-skeleton of an insect. If attacked, Round Island Day Geckos have a unique way of defending themselves.

19. Gecko • The tail just drops off and lies moving around on the ground. Hopefully the enemy will pay attention to the tail while the gecko escapes. The stump quickly heals, and they will eventually grow a new tail.

21. Kangaroo • These animals are mostly found in the dry inland Australia, including desert, grassland, mallee, and mulga country. It is able to go with out drinking as long as green grass is available and it adapts well to drought.

22. Kangaroo • Despite its name, the Red Kangaroo is sometimes a blue-grey color, particularly the female. Even though these animals look cuddly, they are to be approached with caution. They have evolved with a  large claw attached to its hind leg.

23. Kangaroo • Red Kangaroos can hop as fast as 40 mph (64 km).  They use this as their first line of defense.  Kangaroos have a tendon in the leg which acts like a rubber band, conserving energy as the animal moves lands.  Red Kangaroos actually expand less energy in locomotion as they move faster, up to very fast speeds.

25. Shark • A shark is a fish. It breathes through its gills, has a backbone and lives in water. However, unlike all other fish, its skeleton is made from cartilage, not bone and they do not have scales but denticles. Also, they have five to seven gill slits rather than one each side as in bony fish.

26. Shark • Sharks can detect one part of blood per ten billion parts of water – that means they could detect one drop of blood in an area the size of an Olympic swimming pool! The nose of a shark is only used for smell, unlike in humans where we also use our noses for breathing.

28. African Wild Dog • Location: South Africa and east of Sahara

29. African Wild Dog • Wild dogs have a canine body shape like a wolf's, but they have larger, bat like ears and white tipped tails.  They have splotches of black, yellow, white, and dark brown, with no two dogs marked exactly the same.

30. African Wild Dog • Wild dogs have a highly developed social structure.  They live in packs that vary from 10 to 15 animals, including males, females, and young.  Their packs are nomadic, and they roam across a range of 1 to 30 miles a day.  Members of the pack cooperate when hunting and raising their young.

31. African Wild Dog • Wild dogs have developed incredible speed and endurance for attacking prey.  They have been clocked at running 37 miles per hour for distances over 3 miles.  They also have specialized, large, bat like ears that allow for excellent auditory ability used for hunting and ritual ceremonies

33. Lion • A lion's roar can be heard up to 5 miles away. Roaring is believed to have a territorial function and to help animals locate each other.

34. Lion • Territories are scented marked with urine, feces, and head rubbing. Lions mark with their claws on trees and other signposts.  The mane of the male  provides protection from the claws and teeth of other males.

35. Lion • They eat anything they can catch and kill, and groups have even been observed killing rhinoceros. A lion can eat up to 35 grams of meat at a sitting. They drink freely when water is available, but they can survive only on the water they get from their prey for long periods of time.

36. Lion • Lions can run at speeds over 30 mph, but only over short distances. This speed is insufficient for catching a large antelope, so group stalking is an important hunting strategy. Lions appear to assess how much effort will be required for taking down a particular target, and if the prey is small enough to be taken by a single female, the other members of the hunting group will let her catch it alone.

38. Polar Bear • Polar bears have thick white fur. Their fur and layers of fat beneath their skin protect them from the Arctic cold. Their fur also provides camouflage when they are hunting. Polar bears have a keen sense of smell. They can smell food as much as 10 miles away. On land polar bears can run for short bursts at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.

39. Polar Bear • They hunt seals such as the ringed seal and other animals for food.

41. Skunk • Sometimes the skunk will dig its own den, but it may also move into another mammals den. Skunks also live under old buildings. The skunk drags dried leaves and grass into its burrow to make a mat. In the winter, it might form a ball of grass and push this into the door of the den to keep out the cold wind.

42. Skunk • The skunk is the size of a house cat. Its eyes ane ears are small. It can not see too well, but its sense of hearing is good. During the day, a skunk sleeps. It hunts at night, walking slowly along, catching insects and looking for small fruit. It also eats meadow mice, gophers, moles, and chipmunks.

43. Skunk • The skunk has musk glands and can shoot a liquid that has a terrible odor.First, it gives a warning when something approaches it. With its legs stiff, the skunk stamps the ground with its feet, snaps its teeth, and its hairs stand up.Then,if necessary, the skunk swings its rear end round , lifts its tail up out of the way and shoots its musk. The liquid can shoot out as far as four meters. If it hits the enemy in the eyes, the enemy cannot see for a few moments.

45. Zebra • Each zebra has its own stripe pattern. The zebras recognize each other by their stripe pattern and by their smell. Some species have narrow close set stripes, while others have broader stripes. • Zebras like to help groom each other.

47. Zebra • Zebras are black with white stripes. If you shaved a zebra, you would see that its skin is black

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