Adaptation Examples
This adaptation allows penguins to survive freezing temperatures.
Thick layers of blubber and dense feathers for insulation.
How does camouflage help animals survive?
It allows them to blend into their environment to avoid predators.
What advantage do deep roots give plants?
To reach underground water during drought or dry climate.
Name two resources that animals compete for.
Food, Shelter, Mates, Water, Territory
A rabbit is being chased by a predator. What are two adaptations that could help it survive?
Speed and agility.
This behavior allows desert animals to avoid extreme heat? (Hint: sleep cycle)
They are nocturnal and burrow underground during the day.
Why do some animals have large ears in hot climates? (Hint: body temp)
They help release heat.
How do carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps survive in nutrient-poor soil?
They trap and digest insects to make up for lack of nutrients absorbed by roots.
Plants grow taller and their leaves become larger when they are competing for ______.
Sunlight
The migrate, find new prey, or die.
This adaptation helps a woodpecker get food.
A long, strong beak for pecking into trees to find insects.
What adaptation do owls have that makes them excellent hunters at night?
Silent flight and strong night vision.
Why do some plants produce toxic chemicals in their leaves?
To deter herbivores from eating them.
What happens to animals if they cannot win competition for food?
They move, adapt, or die out.
A group of birds begins nesting in an urban area (city) on tops of buildings. Suggest one reason why this has occurred.
They found a new food source. Low resources in their native environment caused them to migrate.
How do some frogs survive winter in frozen environments?
They freeze solid and then thaw in spring.
Large eyes allow more light into the eye.
How does the waxy leaf surface of a cactus plant help it survive?
Protection from intense sunlight and heat.
Two predators in the same area are most likely to compete for what resource?
Food (prey)
Two groups of birds exist on an island. One eats seeds and the other eats insects. What happens if the insect population suddenly declines due to human activity?
The insect eating population will adapt or decline.
How do arctic foxes blend into their environment during winter and summer? (hint: fur)
They change fur color—white in winter, brown in summer.
Explain why predators have forward facing eyes while some prey have eyes on the sides of their head.
Predators use depth perception (forward vision) to hunt and prey need a wide field of vision to spot predators.
The mangrove tree grows in brackish or saltwater but survives on freshwater. What is an adaptation that allows this to occur?
Salt filtering roots and the ability to store freshwater.
Many birds live in the same habitat or ecosystem. What is the adaptation in birds that allow them to avoid competition for food?
They have different beak sizes and shapes that allow them to consume different insects.
Clams live in sediment at the bottom of the ocean and feed on plant remains. Suggest two reasons living in the sediments is an advantage to them.