Adaptations
By Joseph Tabuena
Behavioral
Behavior adaptations are how organisms act and behave to survive.
Example 1: The Hedgehog
Hedgehogs are nocturnal, which means that they sleep during the day and come out at night. This behavior trait they have is so that they can catch pray such as worms, slugs, frogs, and other animals that come out at night also. If threatened, they instinctively curl up into a ball to protect theirselves. All hedgehogs cover their spikes with saliva, which they use to attract mates and reduce parasites.
Animals with similar behavior adaptations would be aardvarks, bats, badgers, and more.
Example 2: Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are one of the smartest non-human animals. Their have adapted to learn how to use tools such as carved rocks to help them hunt animals. They also have adept language to communicate which they have acquired with their long memories.
Animals with similar behavior adaptations are howler monkeys and great apes.
Example 3: Air Plants
What makes Air Plants so special is that they have adapted to grow on top of other trees, rather than the ground. It is much easier for them to thrive up there because they can obtain water from the air moisture and rain better than what they could do on the ground. Because they live in rainforests, the canopy takes in most of the water, so being up high increases their chance of survival.
Other organisms with similar traits are mistletoe, and other types of canopy plants.
Example 4: Polar Bears
After childhood, all polar bears become nomads, meaning they have no one place to call home. Instead, they wander their entire life. The reason for this is how the arctic environment changes. In the summer, ice will break up, and polar bears must keep traveling to survive and find food. For this reason they are amazing swimmers and have been 60 miles from the shore.
Animals with similar adaptations are whales and birds that migrate.
Anatomical
Anatomical adaptations are traits that organisms have developed on their external body, (such as arms, feet, ect.) to help them survive.
Example 1: African Penguins
African Penguins have a white belly and a black back. The reason for this is camouflage. When they swim in the ocean, the white belly hides them from the sight of underwater predators, and the black back protects them from aerial predators.p
Other types of penguins and organisms like chameleons also use camouflage it survive.
Example 2: The Yellow bellied glider
The yellow belied gliders are marsupials from Australia. The shape of their body is wing like, which allows them to glide in the air. They need eucalyptus trees to eat, so they have adapted to glide over 100 meters straight. Without this adaptation it would be much harder for them to reach high branches to attain food.
Squirrels, lizards, and frogs have also learned this anatomical adaptation.
Example 3: The bottlenose dolphin
The reason why dolphins have anatomical adaptations is the simple fact that they are swimming in the first place. Millions of years ago ancestors of dolphins had four legs and lived in the land. Over time they have adapted the ability to swim well. Dolphins are now known as great swimmers and are even used in shows. The layout of their entire body s aerodynamic and allows them to swim fast. They also have the ability to outsmart prey, like sharks.
Example 4: The slow worm
Slow worms are actually not worms. They are lizards. But what makes them special really special is that they look just like snakes. People will avoid them and prey will also avoid them because they think that they are poisonous and will bite them. This is anatomical because it their appearance lets prey overlook them. In reality they are just legless worms. You can tell they are not snakes because they have eyelids.
Physiological Adaptations
Internal adaptations that an animal makes to respond to outside stimuli.
Example 1: The bar-headed goose
The bar-headed goose's physiological adaptation is that is that its body is tolerant to very high altitude. It flies the highest in the world: higher than Mount Everest. It is also very cold, and the temperatures change when they change altitude. They do this by taking oxygen from hypoxic air and taking it to aerobic muscle fibers.
Example 2: The Giant sequoia tree
This unique tree's physiological adaptation is fire resistance. Everyone knows that they are the tallest living things on earth, and that they are from California. Everyone also knows that California is known for its forest fires. But most people do not know that these trees are fire resistant. This is due to the loose fibers making the tree's bark extremely thick.
Plants with similar fire resistant traits are cacti and other desert plants.
Example 3: Galápagos giant tortoise
The Galagos giant tortoise lives in a low water environment. It stores water for later in its body and can go days just sitting there in the sun. This giant tortoise was discovered by Charles Darwin.
Example 4: Cacti
Cacti live in the desert. They store water inside theirselves.