Habitat and Adaptations
Habitat
= the neighborhood an animal lives in.
Where does he live?
Beaver
Builds himself a lodge in
lakes and wetlands
Habitat
How is the beaver equipped to live in this
environment
Thick oily fur to keep him warm
Long teeth (incisors) to cut
down trees
Broad flat tail to swim
Webbed hind feet
Beaver
Habitat
The environment in which a species lives is
called its habitat.
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Provides shelter
Provides food and water
Has a climate to which animals are adapted
Has other animals of the same species so that
they can reproduce
Adaptation
• Adjustments of a species to be more suited to
live in an environment
Adaptation to climate
Arctic fox
Fur: thick and white
Small ears, short tail
More compact body
Red fox
Adaptation
– Adaptation to climate
• Fur thickness,
• Fur colour,
• Animal body shape (ears and tail)
• Body fat
Adaptation to the way they move
Ducks mostly move on water not on land
 Have webbed feet
Albatross
compact, streamlined body with
strong feet adjusted for
swimming
The claws of the
chameleon help him walk
on thin branches
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRPYSbbIP24
Adaptation
– Adaptation to how they move
• Webbed feet
• body adapted to flying vs. swimming
• opposing digits for climbing
• Streamlined body of fish
Adaptation to what they eat
The function of different types of teeth
Incisor (shred, cut)
Canine (tear)
Premolar and Molar
(grind and crush)
Adaptation to what they eat
Herbivore:
Well developed
Molars
Carnivore:
Well developed
Canines
Rodent Herbivore:
Well developed Incisors
Which skull belongs to which animal?
What are humans?
• Omnivores
All our teeth are
well developed
What do they eat?
Red-tailed hawk
• Short, strong, hooked beak
Carnivor
• Short, strong, wide
beak
seeds,
insects
berries
cardinal
• Short and slender beak
Insectivor
Catches insects
swallow
• Long, slender
beak
hummingbird
Nectar from
flowers, insect
eggs, aphids
• Big, long,
powerful beak
Omnivore
crow
Everything they
can find
Adaptations to what they eat
mammals
• Herbivores (eat plants)
> well developed molars
• Rodent herbivores (eat
seeds and nuts)
> well developed incisors
• Carnivores ( eat meat)
> well developed canines
birds
• Birds of prey (eat meat)
> short strong hooked beak
• Cardinal (eats hard seeds)
> short wide beak
• Swallow (eats insects)
> short and slender beak
• Crow, sea gull (omnivore)
> eat plants, seeds or meat
> long strong, thick beak
Adaptation to the way they
communicate
• Bright colors to
attract female
•  visual signal
Adaptation to the way they
communicate
• Waggle dance to indicate
which direction to find
food
•  visual signal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ijI-g4jHg
Adaptation to the way they
communicate
• Birds sing to attract females
and to mark their territory
•  auditory signal
Adaptation to the way they
communicate
• Howling to confirm
membership in the pack,
signal readiness to hunt
and mark territory.
•  auditory signal
Adaptation to the way they
communicate
• Whistle
to stay in contact with other
dolphins
 Auditory signal
Adaptation to the way they
communicate
• Skunks spray a liquid to ward
off predators
•  olfactory signal
• Dogs, wolfs and moose use
urine to mark their territory
Adaptation
Adaptation to the way they communicate
• Visual signals
- animal colours
- animal movements
• Auditory signals - birds sing to mark their territory
- wolfs howl to confirm membership
- dolphins whistle to stay in contact
• Olfactory signals - skunks spray to warn predators
- dogs urinate to mark their territory
Adaptation to the way they orient
Echolocation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpxEmD0gu0Q
Plant adaptations
• Plants need help to spread their seeds
Dandelion
Coconut palm
• Adaptation to the way seeds are spread
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48YAHg-kY10
• Animals eating fruit spread the seeds of the
fruit.
Coffee beans that have gone through a monkeys digestive
system are the most expensive coffee beans on earth.
Plant adaptations
• How to spread seeds.
– Dandelion  wind
– Coconut palm  water
– Fruit producing plants  animals
Plant adaptations
Plants need the help of insects to fertilize their flowers
Attraction
through smell
Attraction through
imitation
Nectar deep inside
flower
Plant adaptations
• How to attract insects for fertilization
– Smell
– Imitation
Plant adaptations – where they live
• The needles of
coniferous trees
allow them to grow
in colder regions.
• Needles are
covered with thick
waxy layer to
conserve water
and heat.
Plant adaptations – where they live
• succulent plants store
water in their trunks to
survive the dry season
Plant adaptations – where they live
• = algae and fungi living
together
• Algae provides food
– (photosynthesis)
• Fungi provides moisture
Lichen
Symbiosis:
A mutually beneficial relationship between two
living organisms
Plant adaptations
• How to withstand climate.
– Needles of coniferous trees more resistant.
– Algae of lichens are protected by mushrooms.
– Cacti store water in their stems.