Structural/Physical Adaptations
coloration
mimicry
odor glands
beaks
feet
wings
fur
ears
spines
teeth
thorns
characteristics of seeds
Coloration
Using color to hide from predators or warn
predators not to eat that animal. They can
also be used to attract a mate or insects and
other animals to aid in pollination.
Flowers use color to attract insects and other
animals to aid in pollination
Mimicry
The resemblance of one organism to another or
to an object in its surroundings for
concealment and protection from predators.
Odor glands
Animals and plants use scents to attract
mates, fend off predators and rivals, and
attract insects and other animals to help
them pollinate other flowers.
Beaks
These are a birds mouth. The shape and size
are related to how they get their food.
Feet
Animals have feet that have adapted to their needs.
Examples are feet for swimming, catching prey,
holding on to surfaces, running, holding great weights,
balancing, and weight distribution on soft surfaces like
sand, mud , and snow.
Wings
This adaptation allows animals to fly, which
helps them get food, flee and live far from
predators, balance and swim for some.
Many even use them as camouflage.
Fur
Fur’s purpose is to insulate from cold or too
much heat, as camouflage, to signal danger,
to protect the skin, and to sense the
immediate surroundings.
Ears
Ears are used for hearing sounds from a distance,
navigation, listening for mating calls, receiving
communications sounds, and receive warnings of danger.
Spines
These are used to keep animals up right, defense,
swimming, and protecting the spinal cord.
Teeth
Different kinds of teeth have different jobs. Some are sharp for
biting and tearing meat. Others are flat and square for chewing
plants. Some have needle like teeth for injecting venom.
Some even use them for defense and the right to have a mate.
Thorns
Thorns are a hard sharp part of a plants stem meant to protect
the plant stem from harm or from animals eating it fruit.
Umbrella Thorn Tree
Characteristics of Seeds
Plants have developed lot of ways to spread their seed around their
environments. Four major ways are: by air, by water, by animals,
and by land.
Light thin fibers
One wing
buoyant coconut
Animals eat or carry fruit and seeds to other places on or in
their bodies.
Some have hard shells that
protect them when they fall to
the ground and may even
bounce allowing them to roll to
a new location.