Built to survive
Why does a polar bear have thick white fur? Why does a cactus have spines? Why do geese fly south in fall? Each of these is an adaptation: a feature or behaviour that helps a living thing survive and reproduce in its environment.
Adaptations develop over many, many generations. They are not changes an animal chooses to make during its life.
Structural adaptations
A structural adaptation is a body part or physical feature.
| Organism | Adaptation | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Polar bear | Thick fur and fat | Stays warm in the Arctic |
| Camel | Hump of fat, long eyelashes | Stores energy; keeps out sand |
| Duck | Webbed feet | Paddles through water |
| Giraffe | Long neck | Reaches leaves high in trees |
| Cactus | Spines and a waxy stem | Spines protect it; wax keeps water in |
| Owl | Large eyes, silent feathers | Hunts at night |
Behavioural adaptations
A behavioural adaptation is something an organism does.
- Migration: Many birds fly south in the fall to find food and warmer weather. Monarch butterflies travel thousands of kilometres to Mexico.
- Hibernation: Groundhogs and some bats enter a deep sleep in winter. Their heart rate and breathing slow down to save energy.
- Living in groups: Wolves hunt in packs. Fish swim in schools to confuse predators.
- Being active at night: Desert animals like foxes hunt at night when it’s cooler.
Camouflage and mimicry
Camouflage helps an animal blend in.
- An arctic hare is white in winter and brown in summer.
- A stick insect looks just like a twig.
- A flounder can change colour to match the sea floor.
Mimicry is when one living thing looks like another.
- The harmless viceroy butterfly looks like the bad-tasting monarch, so birds avoid it.
- Some harmless flies have yellow and black stripes like wasps.
Plant adaptations
| Plant | Adaptation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Maple tree | Drops its leaves in fall | Saves water in winter |
| Water lily | Wide floating leaves | Catches sunlight on the pond |
| Venus flytrap | Traps insects | Gets nutrients missing from poor soil |
| Dandelion | Fluffy seeds | Wind spreads seeds far away |
When environments change
If an environment changes quickly, living things may not have the right adaptations. Some may move away, some may survive in smaller numbers, and some may die out. That’s one reason scientists worry about rapid changes like climate change and habitat loss.
In the real world
Engineers copy adaptations. The nose of Japan’s bullet train was shaped like a kingfisher’s beak to reduce noise. Swimsuit makers studied shark skin to reduce drag.
Common mistakes
- Thinking animals adapt on purpose. A giraffe didn’t stretch its neck to get longer. Giraffes with longer necks survived better and passed on that trait.
- Mixing up structural and behavioural adaptations.
Try it yourself
Invent an animal that lives in a cold, snowy forest with little food in winter.
- Give it two structural adaptations.
- Give it two behavioural adaptations.
- Explain how each one helps it survive.
Quick recap
- Adaptations help living things survive and reproduce.
- Structural adaptations are body features; behavioural adaptations are actions.
- Camouflage helps animals hide; mimicry helps them look like something else.
- Migration and hibernation help animals survive winter.
- Adaptations develop over many generations, not during one lifetime.