External Features of Living things

Lets take a closer look at external features of animals and how they assist them to survive in their environment.

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External features of animals and their functions

What is an external feature

​An external feature is any feature that is on the outside of the body. Each external feature plays an important role in supporting the animals survival in their environment.

For animals these may include:
🌀Skin, scales or fur
🌀Wings, Tail or feet
🌀Tusks or Antlers

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT an external feature?

• Eyes

• Legs

• Heart

• Skin

External features may assist the animal with:

Movement
Eating
Protection

Why are external features so important?

Different external features help animals to move around their environment. Some animals have legs and feet to walk around, while others have wings to help them fly. Animals that live in water have may fins and tails to help propel them.

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How do animals move?

Fill in the Blank

How does a bird move?

Different features assist animals to hunt, gather and eat food. Carnivores such as lions and tigers have sharp claws and teeth suited to tearing up meat, while herbivores such as birds have long pointy beaks which help them pick up seeds and grains and reach worms buried in hard to reach places.

​Which features are helpful for eating?

Multiple Select

Which external features of animals are most useful for gathering and eating food?

• Fur

• Claws

• Beaks

• Tounge

​Some animals have important external features that protect them from predators. Horns and tusks assist Elephants and Rhinos to defend against their attackers. Reptiles have hard dry scales that cover their body to protect them.

​How do animals protect themselves?

Fill in the Blank

Fill in the blank in the following sentence

Deer, Moose and Elk all have ......................... that are used for protection and gathering food