American Toad (Bufo americanus)
Behavioral Adaptation: Hibernation
American toads (Bufo americanus) and other frogs that are
good diggers burrow deep into the soil, safely below the
frost line. Though the weather can get down to below
freezing,
these frogs do not die. Why? Ice crystals form in such places
as the body cavity and bladder and under the skin, but a
high concentration of glucose in the frog's vital organs
prevents freezing. A partially frozen frog will stop breathing,
and its heart will stop beating. It will appear quite dead. But
when it warms up above freezing, the frog's frozen portions
will thaw, and its heart and lungs resume activity--there
really is such a thing as the living dead!
Environment (Habitat):
The American Toad is found in most of the Eastern
United States and the Midwest. Temperatures get cold
here in the winters. They require moist sold and
protective vegetation. They are commonly found in
gardens, forests, small ponds, and agricultural fields.
Because the toads obtain oxygen and water, the frog
must live in a moist environment to prevent
desiccation.
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
(Archilochus colubris)
Behavioral Adaptation: Migration
Environment (Habitat):
Hummingbirds thrive in warm
climates that receive enough rain
to produce flowered plants. Red
throated hummingbirds live in
Northern United States. In winter,
when temperatures are too cold,
they migrate south to warmer
temperatures for the winter.
Hummingbirds are carnivores
(nectar is just the fuel to power
their fly catching activity), and
depend on insects that are not
abundant in subfreezing weather,
so most of them must retreat
back "home" to Central America
in the winter or risk starvation. A
few Ruby-throated remain along
the Gulf coast each winter instead
of continuing to Central America,
perhaps because they are too old
or sick to make another transGulf flight or too young (from
very late nests) to have had time
to grow fat and strong enough to
migrate; their survival chances
depend on the severity of each
particular winter, and many
perish in unusually cold years.
Hummingbirds depend of flowers
and insects for fuel in the areas
along the migration route.
Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
Structural Adaptation: Long Roots
Only certain plants can survive in
lands like ours where little rain
falls, heavy winds blow, summer
is hot, and winter is cold.
Sagebrush and other plants have
developed ways to adapt to these
harsh environmental conditions.
The root system of sagebrush
has evolved so the plant can
Environment: Habitat
Sage grows in hot
desert regions of the
United States. These
regions receive very
little rainfall.
water itself. At night, the tap root
of sagebrush pulls moisture from
deep in the soil up to shallow
branching roots that grow near
the surface. During the day, the
shallow roots use this water to
keep the shrub alive.
Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)
Environment: Habitat
Structural Adaptation: Dense Bones
The Emperor penguins habitat is
limited to the Antarctic and the
surrounding sea. The Emperor
penguin is a marine bird, and it
will only hunt in the ocean.
Penguins do not have hollow bones
like most flying birds. The solid bones
of emperor penguins help decrease
buoyancy when diving, allowing them
to reach great depths in a short time.
Dense bones help the Emperor
penguins to swim underwater.
Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris)
Structural Adaptation: Fish Gills
The purpose of a fish’s gills is to enable it to
obtain oxygen from the water. A fish's gills
contain special membranes that absorb
oxygen and also release carbon dioxide.
Basically a fish's gills have the same
function as a person's lungs - the gills are
where gas exchange occurs.
Water has oxygen dissolved in it, which the
fish needs to survive. The fish takes water
in through its mouth and this water passes
over the gills. The gills contain lots of blood
vessels. Oxygen is absorbed as the water
passes over the fish's gills, and this oxygen
enters the fish's bloodstream. Carbon
dioxide is a waste product and it diffuses
out through the fish's gills.
Coral Snake (Micrurus fulvius)
Environment (Habitat):
Coral snakes are found in the the South
East United States. The coral snake
habitat varies depending on the state
where it is found. They often live in
forest, near sandy shores and waterways.
They can often be found in the piney
woods of Texas.
Structural Adaptation: Warning Coloration
Warning coloration may include bold, distinctive patterns
of color characteristic of a poisonous or unpalatable
organism such as the skunk or the monarch butterfly,
which functions as a warning to and defense against
predators.
This is known as aposematism.