Science - Adaptation (Structural and Behavioral)

Look at each animal and identify the 1) Structural and 2) Behavioral Adaptation:


Raccoons: Behavior
Raccoons are a great example of behavioral adaptation in action! In their natural forest environment, they nest in trees and eat everything from berries to fish. They are mostly nocturnal, which means they come out at night.As night creatures, they are not seen by humans very often.

For some people living in suburban areas, however, raccoons can seem like one of the biggest pests — and it's all our fault! As humans destroyed the raccoon's natural habitat, these animals have learned to change their habits — to adapt. Instead of nesting in trees, suburban raccoons have made very comfortable homes in people's attics, basements, garages, and storage sheds. Since they are not picky eaters, they have traded forest food for the delicious leftovers found in our trash. Using their grasping hands, they have learned to open garbage cans and gates, creating quite a problem for their human hosts!

- come out at night (BA or SA)

- learn to open trash cans and eat leftover food (BA or SA)

Sharks: Body Parts
If you look at a shark, you will see it has a number of special adaptations that allow it to fit into an ocean environment. A shark has 1. fins and a streamlined body that help it swim through water.It has 2. gills, which take in oxygen directly out of the water. Because of its gills, sharks can stay underwater and not have to come to the surface to breathe.

Sharks also have a tremendous 3. number of sharp teeth, which make them fierce predators. In fact, if a shark accidentally breaks a tooth while chomping down on something, the tooth is almost immediately replaced by another tooth growing in the jaw. With all these special adaptations, sharks do really well in the ocean, but it would be very hard for a shark to survive in the Sahara Desert!

Foxes: Camouflage
Camouflage is a type of adaptation that allows animals to blend in with their surroundings. This adaptation helps protect them from their enemies.An animal is much better able to "hide" by blending into its surroundings. On the other hand, camouflage also helps a predator "fit in" to its environment so that it won't be seen very easily as it comes up on its prey.

Take the Arctic fox. 1. During summer months, the Arctic fox has a brown coat. During winter, the coat of the Arctic fox is white, matching its icy, snowy surroundings.

Jeannie - think of the numbers and decide if its BA or SA.

Note - Behavioral adaptations mean how they behave. Structural adaptations mean their physical characteristics (observe with your eyes)

This is the main idea in Chapter 9