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An introduction to how plants and animals have special traits that help them live in their homes.
Have you ever wondered why a polar bear doesn't freeze in the snow, or how a cactus stays juicy in the hot, dry desert?
Every living thing has a special 'survival kit.' An adaptation is a special body part or a behavior that helps a plant or an animal live in its environment. Think of it like a superpower! For example, a bird has wings to fly away from danger, and a fish has gills to breathe underwater. Without these special traits, it would be very hard for them to stay alive in their homes.
Quick Check
In your own words, what is an adaptation?
Answer
An adaptation is a special trait or part of a living thing that helps it stay alive in its home.
To stay healthy and grow, every animal and plant must meet three basic needs. These are: food, water, and shelter. An animal's adaptations are usually designed to help it find one of these three things. For example, a giraffe has a very long neck so it can reach its food (leaves) at the top of tall trees where other animals can't reach!
Let's look at how a polar bear meets its needs in the cold Arctic: 1. Thick White Fur: This keeps the bear warm and helps it hide in the snow. 2. Blubber: A thick layer of fat under the skin that acts like a warm blanket. 3. Wide Paws: These act like snowshoes so the bear doesn't sink into the deep snow.
Quick Check
What are the three basic needs that all animals must meet to survive?
Answer
Food, water, and shelter.
Not all animals live in the same place. Because a desert is very different from an ocean, the animals there need different adaptations. A camel in the desert has long eyelashes to keep sand out of its eyes. Meanwhile, a shark has a streamlined body to swim fast through the water. If you swapped them, they wouldn't survive! The camel cannot breathe underwater, and the shark cannot walk on sand.
Plants have adaptations too! A cactus lives where it rarely rains. It survives by: 1. Storing water in its thick, waxy stem. 2. Using sharp spines instead of leaves to protect its water from hungry animals. 3. Having roots that spread out wide to catch every drop of rain when it finally falls.
Some adaptations are for hiding! This is called camouflage. 1. A 'Walking Stick' insect looks exactly like a brown twig. 2. When it sits still on a branch, birds cannot see it. 3. This adaptation helps the insect find shelter and stay safe from predators who want to eat it.
Which of these is an adaptation for an animal living in a very cold place?
Which of the following is NOT one of the three basic needs for survival?
True or False: Plants have adaptations just like animals do.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, look at a pet or a picture of an animal and try to name one 'superpower' (adaptation) it has to help it get food or stay safe.
Practice Activity
Draw your own 'Super-Animal'! Give it three different adaptations: one for getting food, one for getting water, and one for finding shelter.