Adaptations in animals

Description

Adaptations needed in animals for their particular habitats.
Aaishah  Din
Flashcards by Aaishah Din, updated more than 1 year ago
Aaishah  Din
Created by Aaishah Din almost 7 years ago
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Resource summary

Question Answer
What is an adaptation? An adaptation is a special feature or behaviour that makes it possible for a living organism to survive in their particular habitat.
The Earth has a massive variety of conditions. What are they? → Arctic wasteland → desert → tropical rain forest → deep ocean
To survive, what do Arctic animals need to do? → keep themselves warm. This is one of the main necessities of survival.
What adaptations do most Arctic animals have in common? 1) Plenty of insulation 2) colour - may change colour in summer
What types of insulation do the animals have? → Thick fur coats → layer of blubber under the skin →the fat layer also provides a food supply
How does colour change help the animals to survive? Many Arctic animals such as the fox, hare and stoat, exchange the browns and greys of their summer coats for pure white coats for the winter. They act as camouflage.
What is the significance of surface area to volume ratio? → Animals lost heat from the skin that is in contact with their environment. → reducing the contact surface reduces heat loss → increasing it increases heat loss
Do Arctic animals have big or small SA: V ratio? → Small. Arctic animals have a small SA: V ratio because it reduces the amount of heat lost.
What are the features of a hot desert climate? → very dry → very hot during day → very cold during night → less than 25 cm of rain annually
What do desert animals need to survive? → desert animals need to have a stable body temp. → cope with the lack of water as well as the heat.
What are some common features in desert animals? → small ears → large SA: V → little body fat →silky fur → long limbs to spread heat → elongated body shape : long legs → nocturnal
List the adaptations of a camel. → long eyelashes → brown coat for camouflage → fat stored in hump → loses little water in sweating/urinating → wide feet → long, thin legs
List the adaptations of a polar bear. → white fur for camouflage → thick fur and thick layer of body fat → large feet → small ears → small SA: V ratio.
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