If I were a different animal…
An activity to share your personality and
introduce the concept of animal adaptations
All about you
Fill out the first column on your
paper with the number you select
from the following slides:
Choose a dream vacation
1. Mountain ski resort
2. Tropical Island
3. Underwater adventure
4. Safari
5. Mountain Lake
Retreat
6. Big City getaway
7. Rainforest hideaway
8. Desert trek
Choose a meal
1. Steak
4. Veggie Salad
2. Fish
3. Combo pizza
5. Fruit
6. Sweet stuff
Who do you you like to spend most of your time with?
1. By myself
2. Close family
4. My sweetie
5. As many people as I
can
3. My best friend
6. My pet
How would you describe yourself?
1. An introvert
2. An extrovert
4. Competitive
5. Musical
3. Creative
6. Booksmart
Which of these scares you the most?
1. Spiders
2. Heights
4. Failure
5. Toxic people
3. Large crowds
6. Nothing
characteristics of your animal
Fill out the second column on your
paper that describes the habitat and
characteristics of your animal.
Your vacation represents your habitat
1. Mountain
2. Tropical Island
3. Ocean
4. Savannah
5. Freshwater
6. Urban
7. Rainforest
8. Desert
Your meal represents your animals diet
1. Carnivore
4. Herbivore
2. Piscivore
5. Fruit and nuts
3. Omnivore
6. Nectar
Who you spend most time with represents your animals
social behavior
1. Solitary
2. Family group
4. With a mating
partner
5. In a large herd/flock
3. In a symbiotic
relationship
6. Has a parasite
Your self description represents how you animal would
attract a mate/ communicates
1. Spends most of its time
underground, doesn’t really care
about attracting a mate
4. Has
horns/appendages for
fighting
2. Has bright colors,
dances
5. Sings songs
3. Builds or makes displays
6. Uses tools/ ideas
What scares you represents your animals
predators
1. Spiders and other
small creatures
2. Birds
4. Internal parasites
5. Venomous snakes
3. Packs of wolf-like
animals
6. Nothing
Other character strengths
• You are going to take a scientific survey to reveal
your greatest character strengths.
• https://www.viacharacter.org/
• Take the free survey
• Sign-up an take the VIA YOUTH SURVEY
• Write down your TOP 5 strengths on the space
provided on your paper.
• These can be incorporated into your special
animal, but it might be difficult, so you can add
words to your drawing.
Before you begin drawing…..
What is an adaptation?
Here are some examples….
Physical and behavioral
adaptations based on environment
Physical adaptations based on available
food and access to new habitats
Behavioral or physical adaptations
based on competition and survival
Sexual selection- physical or behavioral
adaptations used to attract a mate
Your Task
• Draw your ‘Special Animal’ on the paper provided. THIS DOES NOT
NEED TO BE A REAL ANIMAL! It must:
• Have adaptations to meet all of the 5 characteristics
• Be physically able to survive on Earth
• Be ready to share your animal with the teacher and some classmates.
• You will glue this to the front of your composition notebook.
• Be creative and colorful!
• Don’t worry about being “perfect”, there’s no such thing! Just try your
best :)