ADAPTATION OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS

Fun with science > Knowledge Hub > Science > Animals > ADAPTATION OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS

ADAPTATION OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS

ADAPTATION OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS

POLAR BEARS

  • Their white fur helps them blend in with the snow and ice.
  • A polar bear has a layer of fat under its skin which helps it stay warm. It also has a thick layer of fur.
  • The wide, large paws help a polar bear to walk in the snow.
  • When a polar bear swims under water it closes it nostrils so no water can get in.

PENGUINS

  • Penguins are flightless birds, but are excellent swimmers. They breed on the land or ice surfaces.
  • Penguins have webbed feet for powerful swimming.
  • Their bodies are streamlined to reduce drag in water.
  • They have thick skin and lots of fat (blubber) under their skin to keep warm in cold weather.
  • They also huddle together with their friends to keep warm.
  • The dark coloured feathers of a penguin’s back surface absorb heat from the sun, so helping them to warm up too.
  • Penguins tightly packed feathers overlap to provide waterproofing and warmth.
  • They coat their feathers with oil from a gland near the tail for water proofing.
  • Their heavy, solid bones act like a diver’s weight belt, allowing them to stay underwater.

DOLPHINS

  • Streamlined to move fast, to catch food and to escape from predators
  • Excellent hearing to protect itself from predators
  • Very intelligent mammal
  • Swims with other dolphins for company and protection

FROGS

  • Frogs eat insects, spiders, worms, snails, fish, and even small rodents like mice.
  • When a frog spots a meal, it flicks out its long, sticky tongue. The tongue sticks the meal/creature and pulls it back into the frog’s mouth.
  • Frogs do have teeth, however, they are small and so not really good for chewing.
  • Frogs mostly use their teeth just to hold their prey in their mouths, and then they swallow their prey whole.
  • When a frog swallows large prey, it can close its eyelids and drop its eyeballs down into its mouth. Then the eyeballs help push the prey down the throat of the frog.
  • A Dyeing Poison Tree Frog is brightly coloured to warn enemies of toxins. Its finger and toe tips have adhesive pads that enable the animal to climb.

GIRAFFE

  • A giraffe can consume up to 12 gallons of water at one time.
  • Their long necks allow them to feed among treetops and spot predators.
  • Giraffes have an extra-large heart to pump blood up their long necks to the brain. A giraffe’s heart is 2-3 times stronger than a human heart.
  • Long, tough tongues enable the giraffe to pull leaves from branches without being hurt by the thorns.
  • They have prehensile tongues which allow them to hold branches by wrapping their tongues around the branches. Their tongues are up to 18 inches long.
  • Spotted coat camouflages giraffes among the trees.

LIONS

  • Loose belly skin allows animal to be kicked by prey with little chance of injury.
  • Thick mane helps male look bigger and protects the throat.
  • Eyes in front allow to judge distances when stalking or ambushing prey.
  • Heavily muscled forelimbs and shoulders add strength for capturing large prey.
  • Forepaws equipped with long, claws which can be drawn back, help to grab and hold prey.
  • Rough tongue designed to peel skin of prey animal away from flesh, and flesh from bone.
  • Sandy coat colour camouflages animal and young among scrub vegetation.

LIZARDS

  • Many lizards have a tail, which breaks off readily when grabbed by a predator. This enables the lizards to escape if attacked.
  • A lizard’s tail is used as a fat storage. By losing its tail is is losing a valuable food source.
  • They are strictly nocturnal. This means that they only come out from their holes and crevices at night time to hunt for food.
  • Lizards have extra-thick skin to help prevent drying out in the desert.

CAMELS

  • Winds blow sand all around, so a camel has long eyelashes.
  • It has nostrils that can open and close.
  • Thick eyebrows shield the eyes from the desert sun.
  • A camel can go a week or more without water, and they can last for several months without food.
  • They can drink up to 32 gallons (46 litres) of water at one drinking session.Camels store fat in the hump, not water.
  • Camel conserve water by not sweating as the temperature rises.
  • Camels feet are wide so they can walk on sand more easily.
  • Camels have thick lips so they can eat the prickly desert plants without feeling pain.
  • The colour of their bodies helps them to blend into their environment.
  • Camel’s ears are covered with hair, even on the inside. The hair helps keep out sand or dust that might blow into the animal’s ears.

JELLYFISH

  • Live in the oceans, in salt water, where they eat small sea animals like plankton and little fish, and float in the sea.
  • Only a few jellyfish live in fresh water.
  • They have soft bodies and long, stinging, venomous tentacles.
  • A jellyfish is 97% water.
  • The largest type of jellyfish is the Lion’s mane jellyfish, which has tentacles that can be as long as 60 meters, but most jellyfish are much smaller.
  • Jellyfish don’t have brains and no vertebrates.
  • They are not fish.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.