BiologyHow Body Features Help Animals Survive
Lumi crouches beside a snowy forest clearing, holding a magnifying glass up to examine a snowshoe hare whose white fur blends almost perfectly into the surrounding snow, while a hawk circles overhead in the pale winter sky.
- Identify at least two physical adaptations that help animals survive in their habitat.
- Explain how a specific body feature helps an animal find food, stay safe, or stay warm.
- Compare how two different animals use similar physical adaptations to solve the same survival challenge.
- Predict whether an animal with a particular adaptation would survive better in one habitat versus another.
Key terms
- Adaptation
- A body feature that helps an animal survive.
- Camouflage
- Colors or patterns that help an animal hide.
- Habitat
- The place where an animal lives.
- Blubber
- A thick layer of fat that keeps animals warm.
- Predator
- An animal that hunts and eats other animals.
Hiding With Camouflage
Some animals have special colors that help them hide. We call this camouflage. A snowshoe hare turns white in winter, so it blends into the snow. A green tree frog hides on green leaves. When an animal blends in, hungry predators have a hard time spotting it. Hiding helps the animal stay safe and live another day.
Body Parts For A Job
Many animals have body parts built for one special job. A duck has webbed feet that work like paddles for swimming. An osprey has sharp curved claws to grab slippery fish. A long beak helps a bird reach deep into flowers. Each body part solves a problem the animal faces. When you see an animal, ask what its body parts help it do.
The Right Body For The Right Home
An adaptation only helps in the right habitat. A polar bear's thick fur keeps it cozy in the icy cold Arctic. But that same warm fur would make the bear too hot in a steamy jungle. The white hare hides great in snow, but it would stand out on green summer grass. The best body features match the place where the animal lives.
Worked examples
Why does a stick insect look like a twig?
- Ask what problem the insect has — hungry birds want to eat it.
- Notice its brown, skinny body looks just like a twig.
- Birds fly past because they think it is only a stick.
Answer: Looking like a twig is camouflage that helps the stick insect hide from birds.
Why does a polar bear have thick fur?
- Think about where a polar bear lives — the freezing cold Arctic.
- Thick fur and blubber trap heat and keep the bear warm.
- A warm bear can hunt and survive in the icy snow.
Answer: The thick fur is an adaptation that keeps the polar bear warm in the cold.
Activity
Sort each animal body feature into the correct adaptation type: Camouflage, Body Covering, or Special Body Part.
Practice
Name one animal and tell how its body helps it hide.
Why would a polar bear struggle to live in a hot jungle?
Common mistakes to avoid
- Animals choose their adaptations.Animals are born with their body features and cannot pick them.
- An adaptation helps everywhere.An adaptation only helps in the right habitat for that animal.
Check your understanding
A snowshoe hare has white fur in winter and brown fur in summer. How does this help the hare survive?
A polar bear is moved from the Arctic to a hot tropical rainforest. What would most likely happen to the polar bear?
Both the Arctic fox and the snowshoe hare have white fur in winter. What survival problem does this white fur solve for both animals?
Recap
Adaptations are body features that help animals survive. Camouflage hides them, thick fur keeps them warm, and special body parts do important jobs. But an adaptation only helps in the right home.
Reflect
What body feature would help you survive in the snow?