Imagine a planet so far from the sun that it's always nighttime. Without the warmth of the sun, this planet is also very cold. What kind of changes to the human body would help humans live on this planet?
Eyes that have night vision or a thick coat of fur would certainly be helpful on a dark, cold planet. These changes would help humans adapt, or fit into, this new sunless environment, so we call them adaptations. Adaptations are body parts or behaviors that help a living thing survive in an environment.
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Adaptations are not all about body parts; some are about actions. There are two main types of adaptation: physical and behavioral. Physical adaptations are special body parts that help a plant or animal survive in an environment.
Why do giraffes have long necks? Because their feet smell! That's just a silly joke, but have you ever wondered why giraffes have necks that are much longer than other animals? It's all about food. All living things need food to survive, and in the wild, many animals have to compete for food. Talk about a serious food fight! Giraffes' long necks are a physical adaptation that help them reach food other animals cannot. Long necks help giraffes survive in an environment where many animals are fighting for food and there are many tall trees around.
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Can you spot the animal hanging out in the picture? Believe it or not, there is a gecko - a type of lizard - sitting on this log. This gecko is using a physical adaptation called camouflage to blend in with the log and hide from other animals. Camouflage is an animal's coloring that allows it to match its surroundings. How can camouflage help an animal survive in its environment? Camouflage lets an animal hide from predators or sneak up on prey.
Have you ever copied what someone else is saying? That can be annoying, but some animals use copying as a way to survive. Mimicry is a type of physical adaptation in which a plant or animal looks a lot like another animal or even an object. Animals that use mimicry are the ultimate copycats. The stick bug is a great example of mimicry. Can you guess what object a stick bug looks like? A stick, of course! Looking like a stick helps these bugs avoid being eaten.
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Behavioral adaptations are actions plants and animals take to survive. Have you noticed that during the winter, not many animals are around? Winter is usually a very cold time, and there is not a lot of food around for animals. Many birds like geese migrate, or fly south to warmer places, before the winter. Bears, groundhogs, chipmunks, and even bees hibernate, or spend the winter asleep in a warm place. Migration and hibernation help animals survive life in places that get cold in the winter, so they are behavioral adaptations.
Have you ever heard of a school of fish? Schools of fish aren't about learning, they're about protection. Smaller fish will swim together in large groups, or schools, to look bigger than they really are. This action scares off bigger fish and other animals looking for a snack and helps smaller fish survive. Because schooling is an action that helps these fish live around bigger fish, it's a behavioral adaptation.
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Adaptations are special body parts or behaviors that help a living thing survive in an environment. There are two main types of adaptation: physical adaptations are special body parts that help a plant or animal survive in an environment, and behavioral adaptations are actions plants and animals take to survive.
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In this activity, you'll be asked to analyze two scenarios and provide a written response to the questions that follow.
The wood frog resides in the boreal forests of the north to the southern Appalachians. To survive the harsh temperature during winter, the wood frog buries itself and goes into a deep sleep. The frog's breathing and heartbeat cease as it becomes semi-frozen. In achieving this feat, the creature builds up high concentrations of glucose in its organs and tissues. The glucose then limits the amount of ice that forms and prevents the shrinkage and death of the frog's cells. As the cold weather ends, the frozen frog is thawed and starts hunting for food. It also relies upon its leaf-like pattern to hide from predators and to hunt for insects.
The West African lungfish is considered a living fossil, having lived on the planet for nearly 400 million years. The survival of this species is all thanks to its ability to extract oxygen from water and air. These fish can also survive without food by entering a dormant state. In this state, the lungfish hides in a mucus cocoon for years and takes nutrients by digesting its own muscle tissue.
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