Behavioral Adaptations

Animal Adaptations

Why do animals change?

There are two different types of adaptions.

Physical and Behavioral

Physical adaptations

• A change to a body structure that allows the animal to consume food, defend itself and reproduce.

• camouflage

• mimicry

• chemical defenses

• body parts (ex: webbed feet)

Behavioral Adaptations

• allow an animal to respond to life's needs

• actions

• instinctive: happen naturally

• learned: these behaviors are taught

• examples: hibernating, migrating, finding shelter, etc.

You're a mammal.

Let's try some examples with you!

Multiple Select

Pretend it is winter. You wear pants, coats, hats, and gloves to stay warm. What type of adaptation are you making?

• behavioral

• physical

Multiple Select

Now you are having a snowball fight. You run away because you don't want your little brother to hit you in the face. What kind of adaptation are you making?

• behavioral

• physical

Why must animals adapt?

Animals adapt when their natural habitat changes.

HOW do animals adapt?

• Each animal has certain features that help it adapt to the climate where it lives.

• How might this polar bear adapt to its enivronment?

Multiple Choice

Which of these is a feature a polar bear would NOT have to adapt to its environment?

• They have thick fur coats.

• They have a layer of fat under their fur.

• They have hair on their paws that helps them avoid slipping on ice.

• They have ears to hear the animals around them.

Multiple Choice

Why does a porcupine have sharp quills?

• To protect them from the cold.

• To protect them from other animals.

• to stick to different surfaces.

• To eat if they get hungry.

Open Ended

Why does a snowy owl have white feathers?

Animal Adaptations:

A quick refresher

Open Ended

What does the term adaptation mean? Use your own words...no looking this one up and don't worry if it is wrong. Adaptation. Go!

An adaptation is...

• when an organism or an entire species is better suited to survive in their environment due to inherited or learned characteristics/features.

There are TWO main classifications of adaptations.

• PHYSICAL

• BEHAVIORAL

Multiple Choice

Physical adaptations are ___________ that allow an animal to find and consume food, defend itself, and to reproduce in order to survive.

• an organism's actions

• body structures or features

• learned skills

• instinctive behaviors

Multiple Choice

Camouflage and mimicry are examples of ___________ adaptations.

• behavioral

• special

• physical

• predatory

Leaf tailed gecko

An orchid mantis & an orchid

Other examples of physical adaptations or structures include...

• use of venom, ink, or spray to protect itself from predators

• body coverings or structures including claws, beaks, feet, armor plates, skulls, and teeth

Behavioral adaptations allow animals to respond to life's needs. There are TWO types of behavioral adaptations.

• Instinctive - occur naturally

• Learned - need to be taught

Multiple Select

Check all of the behavioral adaptations that ARE instinctive. Remember, these don't need to be taught.

• migration

• hibernation

• finding shelter

• mastering hunting skills to catch prey

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a behavioral adaptation?

• Making a nest in the crevices of buildings

• Hunting at night

• Collecting food from trash cans

• Having large eyes that can see well in the dark

Let's see how you do classifying adaptations and answering a few questions!

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an adaptation that helps a seal survive in the COLD?

• blubber

• body shape

• skin color

• sharp teeth

Multiple Choice

Which adaptation would NOT help a hawk catch a mouse?

• hollow bones

• excellent eye sight

• talons

• camouflage

Multiple Choice

The ears of this fox are an example of...

• a behavioral adaptation.

• not enough food for the body to grow.

• a structural adaptation.

• a behavioral learned adaptation.

Multiple Choice

A baby leopard stays with it's mother and she teaches them how to hunt for food. This is a(n) _________ behavior.

• mimicry

• camouflage

• instinctive

• learned

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT a physical adaptation?

• a bear hibernating in the winter

• a bird with a sharp beak

• a fish with scales on its body

• a squid using ink to escape the evil clutches of a predator

Multiple Choice

Birds have different beaks to help them survive in their habitat, which is a type of ___________ adaptation.

• behavioral

• physical

• learned

• migration

Multiple Choice

Hibernation, migration, and dormancy or all examples of ___________ adaptations.

• behavioral

• physical

• special

• environmental

Multiple Choice

Squirrels gather and store acorns for the winter, which is a ___________ adaptation.

• behavioral

• structural

• physical

• environmental

Open Ended

Provide an example of an adaptation you have had to use since COVID-19 changed how we do a lot of things.

Remember to think about the extensive list of adaptations as you begin the next section of your Individual Species Project covering their physical description and adaptations.