(BENS) Adaptations Lesson

Adaptations Lesson

In the previous lesson, you learned about how an animal's behavior can help it survive and reproduce in its environment.   Animals also have certain physical adaptations. A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce is called an adaptation. Physical adaptations are body structures that allow an animal to find and consume food, defend itself, and to reproduce its species. Physical adaptations help an animal survive in its environment.

Some examples of physical adaptations are:Peacock Flounder Bothus mancus in Kona

  • Camouflage
  • Mimicry
  • Chemical defense
  • Body coverings & parts

Some insects and animals can use camouflage as a method to blend into the environment. They do not want to attract attention or avoid being noticed by predators. For example, a chameleon can change its color to match its surroundings. Some caterpillars can even look like bird droppings or twigs from a tree. Mimicry occurs when an organism looks or sounds like another living organism. The Viceroy butterfly uses mimicry to look like the Monarch butterfly. The monarch is poisonous while the viceroy is nonpoisonous. Some examples of chemical defenses are venom, ink, and sprays. A skunk will spray its victim with an awful spray when it feels threaten. Claws, beaks, feet, armor plates, skulls, and teeth are a few examples of how body coverings and parts of an organism can help it survive in its environment. An elephant uses its trunk to eat, drink, wash itself, and pick things up. Did you know that a baby snake has an upper tooth? This tooth has a special function. It allows the snake to cut its way out of its shell so that it is more likely to survive and reproduce. The increase likelihood that an organism will survive due to an adaptation it has is called an adaptive advantage. The presence and use of the specialized tooth in young snakes is an adaptive advantage. If they didn't have this tooth, it would be more difficult to exit the shell of their egg and they may die.

All animals live in habitats. Habitats provide food, water, and shelter that animals need to survive, but there is more to survival than just the habitat. Animals also depend on their physical features to help them obtain food, keep safe, build homes, withstand weather, and attract mates. These physical features are called physical adaptations. Physical adaptations do not develop during an animal's life but over many generations. The shape of a bird's beak, the number of fingers, color of the fur, the thickness or thinness of the fur, the shape of the nose or ears are all examples of physical adaptations which help different animals to survive.

The following short video explains how the natural world is filled with animals trying to eat other animals and trying to avoid being eaten. This pressure to find food or to keep from becoming someone else's dinner has, over millions of years, produced an incredibly effective way to escape detection by predators or prey: camouflage. Watch the video segment (via footage from NOVA's Animal Impostors) as it explores the world of camouflage, including some of the methods and benefits of this important evolutionary strategy.

 

 

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