Animal adaptation

Science 4

1. ANIMAL ADAPTATION

2. Animal adaptation refer to changes in body parts and behavior of animals that enable them to survive in the environment in which they live. changes do not occur overnight, it takes place slowly over hundreds or thousand years. Adaptations enable an animal species to get food, reproduce, and protect itself against other animals and changes in weather conditions.

3. ADAPTATIONS IN BODY PARTS Animals use their adaptations for two major purposes: Get their food Protect themselves

4. For getting food

5. TEETH MOLARS flat teeth, and considered as the toughest of the teeth. used to chew and grind food, and closely work with the tongue to sweep chewed food to the back of the mouth. Herbivores like horses, goats, carabaos , and giraffes have big ang high-crowned molars that i s used to grind both tough and soft plant materials.

6. INCISORS Large front teeth that help gnaw at hard plants like carrot tubers like what the rabbits had. Herbivores like horses, deer, goats, and cows among of the animals (herbivores) that have incisors.

7. CANINE very sharp and pointed teeth that is used to catch prey, hold on to it to keep it from escaping, and tear its meat into smaller pieces. Carnivores like tiger, shark, and wolf have canines for these purposes.

8. Omnivores have teeth that eat both plants and the meat of other animals. They have teeth that are sharp, pointed, and flat. Canine for teeth for tearing at meat and molars for chewing on plant parts. Ex: raccoons, bears, baboons, and skunks.

9. BEAKS vary in color, shape, and size depending on the bird’s species, but share on same functions such as aiding birds in getting their food, in grooming themselves, and feeding their young. Woodpecker’s beaks to dig out insects from the branches or trunks of trees. Spoonbill’s beaks use to scoop food out of the water. Eagles and hawks’ hooked beak to catch smaller animals and i ts sharp claws.

10. MOUTH Crocodile and alligator’s mouth – open wide because of the strong jaws with its sharp teeth to catch preys. Snake has an “elastic” mouth that can stretch and flexible jaws that can move apart to allow it to swallow an animal that may even be bigger than it.

11. Specialized Parts Elephants – have long trunks use to reach for leaves from trees and pull at grasses from the ground, also to put water into their mouths. Frogs and lizards – long sticky tongue to catch insects Butterfly and mosquito – have proboscis to sucks nectar from flowers and suck blood, respectively. Spiders spin webs from a gland located at the tip of the body. It spins sticky thread to trap its prey and finer for wrapping the prey it has caught.

12. For Protection

13. Body covering CAMOUFLAGE disguise their appearance, using their body coloring or covering so they can blend with their surroundings and escape. Ex: praying mantis (green color) to blend with foliage and remain undetected by its attackers chameleon possesses special cells containing color pigments that enable the chameleon to change color, mussels, clams, snails, and turtles’ strong and hard shell to hide from their enemies.

14. Birds and fowl – claws Crabs – pincers Carabaos – horns to attack or fight Horses – strong hooves to kick or trample other animals Lions and tigers – sharp paws for fighting or scaring enemies Elephants – trunks and big size to scare enemies and tough skin protects from injuries during tussles Starfish – poisonous spines to scare attackers or predators Male platypus – spurs at the back of its legs to release poison drives enemies away Specialized Parts

15. SECRETIONS Weapons to protect themselves from other animals. Bombardier beetle – sprays hot boiling liquid from its body Squid and octopus – release black ink to mislead enemies and escape from them.

16. ADAPTATIONS IN BEHAVIOR Changing seasons affect most animals. Birds and some mammals cannot survive in cold weather, thus changes are seen to enable them to adapt to seasonal changes.

17. Estivation a period of seep sleep and inactivity, as an adaptation during the dry and hot season. Bees, earthworms, frogs, and hedgehogs do not move, do not grow, and do not eat, instead they sleep for entire hot season. Their heartbeat and breathing slow down. These adaptations help them to avoid the high temperature.

18. Hibernation During winter or cold months some types of bats, bears, frogs, snakes, and other cold-blooded animals do hibernation. These animals don’t have the ability to keep them warm so their body temperature and breathing slow down to help them cope with the extreme cold. Most animals go on hibernation eat large amounts of food before they hibernate so they would have a store of needed fats.

19. Migration During cold season, food becomes scarce and conditions grow even harsher. Birds and other mammals travel to other places to look food and warmer climates. This adaptation in animal behavior is called migration.