I’m a Survivor: Structures and Functions of Animal and Plant Survival
TEKS Targeted: 3.10 A
ELPS Targeted:
Overview: This activity is designed to give students the opportunity to explore specific structures and
functions in a variety of both plants and animals. It is important that students are able to identify how these
structures and functions help the organism survive in its particular environment. This activity allows students
to examine plants and animals they are probably not too familiar. In this lesson, students will also work on
their observation and critical thinking skills.
Grade Level: 3
Duration: Plant activity – 45 minutes to 1 hour; Brainium – 45 minutes to 1 hour; Journal activity – 20 minutes.
Materials:
Plant cards (1 set of cards for every 8 students)
Animal Brainium Game Cards
Time lapse video of bell pepper plant at http://www.naturefootage.com/video_clips/BF41_084
Instructions:
Engage Activity
1. Each student is given an observation table. These tables should be glued in their journals.
2. Tell students they are going to watch a video and their job is to make observations about what they
see in the video. These observations should be recorded on the first line of there observation table.
3. The teacher should pause the video at the beginning and allow students to make/record their
observations.
4. Once the students are ready, play the entire video and have them make/record observations again.
5. The teacher leads a discussion about the structures and functions they observed and how those
structures and functions help the plant survive and/or make more plants.
Plant Activity
1. Students should be paired up with another student.
2. The plant cards will be rotated from group to group so each student should start out with 3 to 4 cards
from the set.
3. Students will make observations about the plant’s structures and functions shown in the picture.
They should also read the information on the back of the card (Things you can’t see in the picture…).
The pair of students discusses their observations.
4. Each student should then record the observations that were discussed in the first column of the table
in their journal.
5. The teacher then asks the students to discuss and explain why they think those structures and
functions help the plant survive in its environment.
6. The explanation should be recorded in the table.
7. Cards will be passed from pair to pair until each group has completed all 12 plants.
© Marianne Dobrovolny – Region 17 Education Service Center
Graphics are from various online resources and are intended for educational purposes only.
Page 1
Animal Adaptation Brainium
1. In this game of Brainium, students will be acting, drawing, sculpting and identifying animals and their
beneficial structures and/or function.
2. Students are put in teams of 3 or 4.
3. Two teams will play together and should move to a similar area.
Game rules:
 Each card has a specific color, the name of an animal, and a few examples of structures/functions
and how those help it survive.
 The object of the game is to get your team members to guess the animal on your card by acting it
out (yellow cards), drawing it (green cards), or sculpting it (red cards). The blue cards are trivia
cards and have 2 or 3 characteristics of an animal. These are read out loud to the team. The team
then tries to identify the animal those characteristic are describing.
 Setting up:
o Without looking at the card, students will set them up in four separate stacks.
o The dice is rolled by each student and the person with the highest number will go first for
their team.
 Time limits (one person from each team will be a designated timer):
o All blue cards have a 30 second time limit from the time the person finishes reading the
card.
o All yellow and green cards have a 90 second time limit from the time the person begins
acting or drawing.
o Red cards have the time limit identified on the card.
 Scoring (one person on each team should be a designated score keeper):
o The first student will roll the dice. The number will determine which set of cards the player
draws from as follows:
1 = Yellow, 2 = Green, 3 = Red, 4 = Blue, 5 – Loose a turn, 6 = Players choose.
o To get a point the team must guess the correct animal. Once they have guessed the animal,
they must ALSO give one special structure or function it has and tell how that structure of
function helps it survive. IMPORTANT NOTE: Not all possible answers are typed on the
cards so students should check with the teacher if they are not sure if the answer given is
correct.
o 1 point is given for each correct guess.
o If a team cannot correctly guess the animal, a structure/function and how it helps it survive
within the time limits, then the other team has a chance to steal the point.
 The team with the highest score at the end of the game wins.
Journal Ideas:
• Have students write about 2 or 3 plants and/or animals that they learned about. You can give them
the following paragraph stem to help them get started.
• “Today I learned about a ___________. I learned that it…..”
• You may want to have the students pick at least 1 or 2 plants/animals that they had never heard of or
are not familiar with.
© Marianne Dobrovolny – Region 17 Education Service Center
Graphics are from various online resources and are intended for educational purposes only.
Page 2
Things you can’t see in the picture…
 Name: Aloe Vera
 Thick, waxy leaf covering
 Lives in dry environments
Things you can’t see in the picture…





Name: Cactus
Roots are big, long, and shallow
Green parts are the stem
The sharp spikes are a special kind of leaf
Grows in dry, hot environments
Things you can’t see in the picture…
Things you can’t see in the picture…
 Name: Morning Glory
 Poisonous
 Grows along fences or other taller objects
Things you can’t see in the picture…
 Name: Panda Ear Plant
 Grows in dry areas
 The dark brown bumps on the tip of the
leaf can develop into roots.
Things you can’t see in the picture…
 Name: Switchgrass
 Name: Dandelion
 Grows in dry windy prairies
 Milky liquid in the leaves and stems
Things you can’t see in the picture…
 Name: Boston Ivy
 Sticky liquid comes out of the circular pads
 Grows next to taller objects in areas with
lots of vegetation
Things you can’t see in the picture…
 Name: Giant Water Lily
 Large spikes sticking out the bottom of the leaf
 Air filled sacks in the leaf
Things you can’t see in the picture…
Things you can’t see in the picture…
 Name: Mesquite Tree
 Name: Venus Fly Trap
 Leaves fold together during dry times
 Leaves fold together on insects
 Grows in dry environments
 Digestive liquid inside the leaf
Things you can’t see in the picture…
Things you can’t see in the picture…
 Name: Potato Plant
 Name: Cantaloupe
 Have poison in the leaves, stems, & roots
 Have bright yellow flowers
 Cooking at high temperatures destroys
these poisons
© Marianne Dobrovolny – Region 17 Education Service Center
Graphics are from various online resources and are intended for educational purposes only.
Page 6
Bell
Pepper
Blue
Heavenly
Morning
Glory
Aloe Vera
Panda Ear
Plant
Cactus
Dandelion
Switchgrass
Describe…
Explain…
the plant’s structures and functions
how these structures and functions help it survive
Describe…
Explain…
the plant’s structures and functions
how these structures and functions help it survive
Giant
Water Lily
Boston Ivy
Venus Fly
Trap
Mesquite
Tree
Potato
Cantaloupe
Plant
© Marianne Dobrovolny – Region 17 Education Service Center
Graphics are from various online resources and are intended for educational purposes only.
Page 8
Key: (the information in the sections below was compiled using various web pages).
Blue heavenly morning glory is a robust
herbaceous perennial. Because of its
aggressive climbing habit it is able to
twine around other trees and shrubs
out-competing them for sunlight. It can also spread into
natural areas choking out and mothering native plants.
The deep root system extends in many directions
allowing the plant to spread and establish in new areas
competing with other plants for nutrients and water.
Once established, it is very difficult to eradicate the
plant. Vegetative fragments of the plant, including
shoots and roots, are often dumped with garden
wastes, thus spreading the plant further. The climbing
capability along with its reproduction and spreading
habits can seriously hinder the growth process of host
plants, and decrease biodiversity in the surrounding
environment.
The dense covering of plant hairs performs
a vital function for the plant in the form of
water conservation. In the dry environment
in which it lives, panda plants must
conserve what little water it can absorb
from the soil. The dense mat of hairs growing from the leaf
slows the movement of air directly across the leaf surface,
thereby reducing water vapor loss (transpiration). The “deadair” space created by the numerous hairs insulates the leaf
from its harsh external environment, too. In addition, the
white-silver appearance of the leaves reflects light, lessening
the chances of the leaves overheating.
Plants grow far away from each other. The plants that
survive in the desert compete for the small amount of
water available, and so they cannot grow close
together.
Aloe has deep roots that are very efficient at absorbing a lot of water in a
short amount of time (The desert has short, intense rain storms).
The fat, fleshy, spongy leaves absorb water quickly and hold water longer.
Plants with these fat-leaves are called succulent.
Thorns on the edge of the plant keep animals from eating the plant to get
to the water stored inside.
The leaves are waxy (like a candle) to keep water inside. The wax layer
acts like plastic wrapper.
The leaves are shiny and smooth to reflect the sun light away from the
plant and keep the plant cooler.
The plant self-shades. This means that the top leaves are larger and
create shade for the tender young leaves growing underneath.
Some aloes have leaves that fold in during the hot summer months. This
helps to protect the softer and younger leaves from extreme temperatures.
Leaves open again in cool weather.
The flower of the aloe attracts birds and insects that pollinate the plant.
The aloe produces many winged seeds that are easily spread far and wide
by the wind.
With a few exceptions, cacti are succulent plants and, like
other succulents, they have a variety of adaptations that enable them to
survive in hot and dry environments.
In most species of cacti the leaves have evolved into spines which not only
defend the cactus against herbivores but also provide shade that lowers
the plants water loss through transpiration. The spines grow from
specialized structures called areoles, homologous to the nodes on other
plants. Enlarged stems carry out photosynthesis and store water. Unlike
other succulents, the stem is the only part of many cacti where this takes
place. Cacti often have a waxy coating on their stems to prevent water loss
and potentially repel water from their stems. Because of the plants' high
water-retention ability, detached parts of the plant can survive for long
periods and then grow new roots from anywhere on the plant body when
rain comes.
The bodies of many cacti have become thickened during the course of
evolution, and form water-retentive tissue that is in the optimal shape of a
© Marianne Dobrovolny – Region 17 Education Service Center
Graphics are from various online resources and are intended for educational purposes only.
Page 9
Mesquite has an extremely long root system
to draw water from deep underground near
the water table.
The tap root of the Mesquite can reach 40 to 80 feet
under the ground.
Plants grow far away from each other. The plants that
survive in the desert compete for the small amount of
water available, and so they cannot grow close together.
Sharp, long, strong thorns keep animals from eating the
plant. These thorns are so strong, they can go through
sneakers.
sphere or cylinder (combining highest possible volume with lowest
possible surface area). By reducing its surface area, the body of the plant
is also protected against excessive sunlight. The plant body itself is also
capable of absorbing moisture (through the epidermis and the thorns),
which is especially important for plants that receive most of their moisture
in the form of fog.
Most cacti have a short growing season and long dormancy. This is helped
by the ability to form new roots quickly. Two hours after rain following a
relatively long drought, root formation begins in response to the moisture.
Apart from a few exceptions, an extensively ramified root system is
formed, which spreads out beneath the surface. Cacti often have very
shallow roots that spread out widely close to the surface to collect water,
an adaptation to infrequent rains.
The leaves are small to conserve moisture.
A magnificent example of adaptation to weedy
life in perennial grassland is provided by the
common dandelion, Taraxacum officinale. In
addition to its deep taproot and rosette of leaves,
which help it to deal with competition of the
grasses, it has remarkable powers of regeneration from any
part of the rootstock which may be severed. The flat rosette
of leaves avoids the blade of a mowing machine and it is not
easy for a grazing animal to consume them, while the more
exposed flowering scape is richly provided with unpalatable
latex. The inflorescence buds are produced very near the
ground level and develop rather slowly in this position (from
which they will not be cut even by a very fine-set lawn
mower). Suddenly the scape elongates and flowering and
fruit-setting takes place rapidly (assisted by precocious
development of the apomictically-produced embryos). All of
these features are characteristic of the genus Taraxacum as
a whole and must be looked upon as preadaptations to
weediness.
Switchgrass is a hardy, deep-rooted, perennial
rhizomatous grass that begins growth in late
spring. It can grow up to 2.7 m high, but is
typically shorter than big bluestem grass or
indiangrass. The leaves are 30-90 cm long, with a
prominent midrib. Switchgrass uses C4 carbon
fixation, giving it an advantage in conditions of drought and
high temperature. Its flowers have a well-developed panicle,
often up to 60 cm long, and it bears a good crop of seeds.
The seeds are 3-6 mm long and up to 1.5 mm wide, and are
developed from a single-flowered spikelet. Both glumes are
present and well developed. When ripe, the seeds
sometimes take on a pink or dull-purple tinge, and turn
golden brown with the foliage of the plant in the fall.
Switchgrass is both a perennial and self-seeding crop, which
means farmers do not have to plant and reseed after annual
harvesting. Once established, a switchgrass stand can
survive for ten years or longer. Unlike corn, switchgrass can
grow on marginal lands and requires relatively modest levels
of chemical fertilizers. Overall, it is considered a resourceefficient, low-input crop for producing bioenergy from
farmland.
The scientific name of this organism is
Victoria amazonica. The common name for
this organism is Giant Water Lily.
General Description
Victoria amazonica is in the Plantae kingdom. The flower itself
is white and only blooms at night. The colour of the lily
changes however when it is pollinated to a pinky purple. When
the lily is still white in colour and needs to be pollinated it
gives off a butterscotch and pineapple scent that attracts the
beetles that pollinate the flower; another way the flower
attracts beetles is its power to heat up the core of the flower.
If the heat outside is 85°C then inside the flower can be up to
95°C! The flower is approximately the size of a soccer ball and
only lives for three days.
The most interesting thing about this flower is the large leaves
that it creates. The leaves can grow up to 46 centimeters in
size and can hold up to 136 kilograms, the leaves are flat
Boston Ivy the plant secretes a sticky
calcium carbonate,[1] which serves as an adhesive pad
and gives it the ability to attach itself to a wall without
requiring any additional support. While it does not
penetrate the building surface but merely attaches to it,
nevertheless damage can occur from attempting to rip
the plant from the wall. However, if the plant is killed
first, such as by severing the vine from the root, the
adhesive pads will eventually deteriorate to the point
where the plant can be easily removed without causing
any damage to the wall.
© Marianne Dobrovolny – Region 17 Education Service Center
Graphics are from various online resources and are intended for educational purposes only.
Page 10
before growing rims at the edge of the leaf. The leaves are
strong and stiff thanks to the strong bottom of the leaves. The
bottoms are covered with spines to help support the ribs. The
bottom of the leaf is maroon in colour. The Giant Water Lily
does not grow year round in areas where it is not a native
species, such as Great Britain; it only grows and reproduces in
the summertime when the climate is warm. However, in its
native Brazil and in the Amazon it grows all year long, due to
the optimum conditions.
Specific Adaptations to the Environment
The Giant Water Lily adapts to the environment by growing
thorns on the bottom of the leaves to protect itself from fishes
and other predator that might want to eat it. Another
adaptation is the rim around the edges of the leaves. These
rims help protect the leaf from birds and insects that might
want to eat the leaves (the rim is a barrier between the insects
and the leaf). The third adaptation of this Giant Water Lily is
that the flower only lives for three days, it traps the beetles
that come to pollinate the flower inside its core and then
releases all its pollen on these beetles. This enlarges the
percentage of pollen that gets transported to other flowers for
pollination.
The venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous
plant that catches and digests animal prey consisting
mostly of insects and arachnids. The trapping structure is
formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's
leaves. The edges of a venus flytrap leaf are equipped
with teeth-like protrusions called cilia, while the inside has red
pigmentation that attracts insects.
The venus flytrap reveals the remarkable diversity in nature—a
carnivorous plant containing several traps that can snap shut in
milliseconds to capture prey.
The venus flytrap is found in nitrogen-poor environments, such as bogs.
The nutritional poverty of the soil is a reason for the plant to have such
elaborate traps as an adaptation: insect prey provide the nitrogen for
protein formation that the soil cannot.
The venus flytrap is a small herb, forming a rosette of four to seven leaves,
which arise from a short subterranean stem that is actually a bulb-like
rhizome. Longer leaves with robust traps are generally formed after
flowering. Flytraps that appear to have more leaves are generally colonies,
formed by rosettes that have divided beneath the ground.
Each leaf blade is divided into two regions: a flat, heart shaped
photosynthesis-capable petiole, and a pair of terminal lobes hinged at the
midrib, forming the trap, which is actually the true leaf.
Venus flytraps produce white flowers in the spring. The seeds are small,
shiny, and black.
Trapping and digestion mechanism
The terminal lobes, hinged at the midrib, exhibit rapid plant movements,
snapping shut when stimulated by prey. The trapping mechanism is
tripped when prey items stumble against one of the three hair-like
trichomes that are found on the upper surface of each of the lobes. The
trigger hairs must be touched twice in quick succession, preventing non-
Potatoes contain toxic compounds known
as glycoalkaloids, of which the most
prevalent are solanine and chaconine.
Solanine is also found in other plants in
the family Solanaceae, which includes
such plants as the deadly nightshade (Atropa
belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco
(Nicotiana) as well as the potato, eggplant, and tomato.
This toxin affects the nervous system, causing
weakness and confusion.
These compounds, which protect the plant from its
predators, are, in general, concentrated in its leaves,
stems, sprouts, and fruits.[61] Exposure to light, physical
damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within
the tuber;[62] the highest concentrations occur just
underneath the skin. Cooking at high temperatures
(over 170 °C or 340 °F) partly destroys these. The
concentration of glycoalkaloid in wild potatoes suffices
to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloids may
cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps, and in severe
cases coma and death; however, poisoning from
potatoes occurs very rarely.
© Marianne Dobrovolny – Region 17 Education Service Center
Graphics are from various online resources and are intended for educational purposes only.
Page 11
prey stimuli such as raindrops from triggering the trap, whereupon the
lobes snap shut in around 100 milliseconds.
The edges of the lobes are fringed by stiff hair-like protrusions or cilia,
which mesh together and prevent large prey items from escaping. These
protrusions, and the trigger hairs, are probably homologous with the
tentacles found in this plant’s close relatives, the sundews. The holes in
the meshwork allow small prey to escape, presumably because the benefit
that would be obtained from them would be less than the cost of digesting
them. If the prey is too small and escapes, the trap will reopen within 12
hours. If the prey moves around in the trap, it tightens and digestion begins
more quickly.
The speed of closing can vary depending on the amount of humidity, light,
size of prey, and general growing conditions. The speed with which traps
close can be used as an indicator of a plant's general health. Venus
flytraps are not as humidity dependent as are some other carnivorous
plants, such as Nepenthes, Cephalotus, most Heliamphora, and some
Drosera.
The venus flytrap is one of a very small group of plants that are capable of
rapid movement, such as Mimosa, the telegraph plant, sundews, and
bladderworts.
The mechanism by which the trap snaps shut involves a complex
interaction between elasticity, turgor, and growth. In the open, untripped
state, the lobes are convex, but in the closed state, the lobes are concave,
forming a cavity. It is the rapid flipping of this state that closes the trap, but
the mechanism by which this occurs is still poorly understood (Forterre et
al. 2005).
Digestion is catalyzed by enzymes secreted by glands in the lobes.
Digestion takes about ten days, after which the prey is reduced to a husk
of chitin. The trap then reopens, and is ready for reuse—even though the
trap rarely catches more than three insects in its lifetime.
The fruit serves as a mother's womb
where the embryo of a baby plant is
nurtured. It protects the embryo, or the
seed, in almost the same way as the
mother protects her small ones. The flesh
of the fruit serves as a protective lining as
the seed develops. And, before the seed
is ready to be sowed, the fruit is unripe
and tastes sour. The sourness of the fruit discourages us
from eating it.
Imagine what would have happened if raw fruits were sweet.
It would have had an underdeveloped seed. After eating the
fruit, you would throw the seed away. But, the seed, like a
premature baby, would not have been able to bring about the
birth of a new plant.
So, nature decided that fruits should become sweet only
when they are ripe and the seeds ready to be sown on earth.
The ripe fruit tempts you to eat it. So that after you eat it and
throw the seed on the ground, it germinates in the soil to
bring about a new plant. Isn't that smart?
© Marianne Dobrovolny – Region 17 Education Service Center
Graphics are from various online resources and are intended for educational purposes only.
Page 12
Charade cards: Print this page on yellow cardstock or paper.
Crab
 Hard shell for protection
 Pinchers to catch food
 Ability to make new limbs if
one is injured
Kangaroo
 Ability to hop and escape
predators
 Long tails for balancing
 Strong arms to punch and fight
predators
 Pouches to help young survive
and grow
Alligator
 Strong jaw for killing prey
 Long tails to help them swim
and catch prey
 Dark color skin helps
camouflage them in the water
Rhinoceros
 Long horn to protect itself
 Hard thick skin that helps it from
predators or other rhino attacks
 Excellent sense of smell to help it
hunt prey
Frog
 Strong legs for jumping
 Long sticky tongue to catch
insects
 Some have a camouflaged
coloring that helps them avoid
being seen by predators
Duck
 Webbed feet for moving
through the water more
efficiently
 Beak to help them catch food
 Fly in v-shaped flocks to help
the group fly better
Eagle
 Excellent eyesight to spot prey
for food
 Long talons and sharp beak for
catching food
 Ability to fly and catch food
Mosquito
 Long stinger that can suck blood
from another organism
 Long wing for flying
 Strong sense of smell to help
them find food
Monkey
 Long tail to help balance in the
trees and swing to avoid
predators
 Have thumbs to grab food and
tree branches
Squirrel
 Long tail for balance
 Sharp claws to climb trees to
gather food
 Special teeth to break hard
shells such as acorns
Rabbit
 Big ears to help it hear predators
approaching
 Moves fast to escape predators
 Some have thick coats of fur to
keep warm
Drawing cards: Print this page on green cardstock or paper
Lizard
 Tail helps them balance and
move
 Some have camouflage to hide
from predators
 Most have scaly skin for
protection
Dolphin
 Excellent ability to hear
 Its shape helps it swim fast to
avoid predators
 Blowhole allows it to breath
Porcupine
 Long sharp quills that easily
stick into a predator
 Sharp claws for climbing
 Sharp teeth for eating twigs
and bark
Peacock
 Bright feathers to help it
attract mates
 Beaks help them eat insects
 Fly to avoid predators
Grasshopper
 Green or brown camouflage to
help them avoid being seen by
predators
 Long strong legs help it jump
long distances
 Large eyes to help it see
predators
Cheetah
 Extremely fast so they can
outrun predators
 Spots on its fur help
camouflage it from predators
 Long claws to help catch food
Scorpion
 Special poisonous tail to kill
prey
 Hard body covering for
projection
 Pinchers to help it catch prey
Piranha
 Large, sharp teeth for eating
prey
 Fins help them swim and catch
prey/food
 Dark color helps them
camouflaged and avoid being
seen by predators
Bat
 Flying helps it catch food
 Highly developed sense of
smell to catch prey/food
 Highly developed sense of
hearing to help it catch food
and avoid predators
Spider
 Makes webs to catch food
 Some have venom to kill or
injure prey/food
 Eight eyes to see prey/food
better
Jellyfish
 Its shape helps it swim
 Stings and injures it prey so it
can eat it
 Some light up and glow to
scare away predators
Skunks
 Ability to spray bad smell into
the air to keep predators away
 Have a lot of babies to help
make sure there are some that
survive to reproduce
Octopus
 Suction cup on tentacles/arm
to help them catch prey
 Change color to help it
camouflaged and avoid
predators
 Sprays ink to help it hide from
predators
Leopard
 Brown spots to camouflage it
and help it avoid being seen by
predators
 Extremely strong to help them
kill prey/food
 Large claws to help them catch
and kill prey
Sculpture cards: Print this page on red cardstock or paper
Sea Anemone
2 minutes
 Poisonous to protect itself
from predators
 Sting and capture prey to eat
 Digests food for nutrients
Camel
2 minutes
 Humps help them keep cool
and store fat (not water)
 Long legs for walking long
distances
 Spit to scare other animals
Turtle
1 minutes 30 seconds
 Shell helps protect it from
danger
 Camouflaged to help it avoid
being seen by predators
 Some have strong snapping
mouth to catch food
Human
1 minutes 30 seconds
 Thumbs help us hold objects
 Large brains help us outsmart
other animals
 Ability to talk helps us
communication with each
other
 Hair helps keep us warm
Shark
2 minutes
 Highly developed sense of
smell to track food/prey
 Several rows of sharp jagged
teeth for ripping meat
 Several fins for balance and
movement
Giraffe
2 minutes
 Long necks help them reach
food high in the trees
 Long legs to run and escape
predators
 Spotted fur helps them
camouflage and avoid
predators
Rattlesnake
Snail
1 minute
1 minute 30 seconds
 Venom helps it kill its
prey/food
 Rattlers at the end of tail scare
away predators
 Skin is camouflaged to avoid
being seen by predators
 Shell helps protect it from
danger
 Some are camouflaged to
avoid being seen by predators
 Special tentacles that have
eyes to help them see
Ant
Bee
1 minutes 30 seconds
2 minutes
 Super strong and can lift 20
times their own weight; this
helps them gather food
 Work together well to build
homes and gather food
 Can build underground homes
for shelter
 Have stingers and venom to
protect themselves
 Good eyesight and sense of
smell help them find pollen in
flower for food
 Make honey to feed their
young
Elephant
Starfish
2 minutes
2 minutes
 Trunks help them gather water
 Long tusks and thick skin for
protection
 Long legs to run from
predators
 New arms can grow to replace
ones that are lost or damaged
 Use arms to grasp prey/food
 Camouflaged to help avoid
being seen by predators
What am I? cards: Print this page on blue cardstock or paper
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
I have large tusks to help me root in
the soil and protect myself.
I have rear flippers to help me swim
fast to catch food.
I have jagged teach to help me kill
and eat my favorite food… seal.
I have thick fur to keep me warm in
the winter.
I have a layer of blubber (fat) to help
keep me warm.
I have a thick white coat of fur to help
me camouflage in the snow.
I have a large snout to help me smell
for food and uproot grass to eat.
I also have a specialized water-proof
fur to keep me warm.
I have big claws to help me kill my
prey/food.
Razorback (Wild Boar/Hog)
Seal
Polar Bear
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
I have sharp claws to help me climb
trees to find shelter.
I have a hard outer covering that
protects me from predators.
I have extremely good eye sight at
I have a strong tail that acts as an
extra arm or leg.
I have poor eye sight but a good
sense of smell to lead me to food.
I sometimes play dead to make
predators think I am dead.
I have a sticky tongue to help me
catch insects and beetles.
Possum
Armadillo
Owl
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
I can communicate with my friends
and family to warn of coming danger.
I have poor eyesight but I can use
electricity to navigate in the dirty
water where I live.
I have a camouflaged skin that helps
me avoid being seen by predators.
I have a good sense of hearing and
stand post at the opening to my
home so I can listen for danger.
My smooth long round body helps me
move and swim in the water.
I am very good at burrowing complex I kill my prey by electrocuting them.
tunnels underground for a place to live.
night to catch prey/food
I have sharp talons to grab prey such
as rabbits and squirrels.
I have the ability to fly.
My jaw and stretch open very wide to
eat very large animals.
I have a super strong body that can
wrap around prey and squeeze them
to death.
Prairie Dog
Electric Eel
Boa constrictor
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
My back legs have webbed feet to
help me swim.
I have no teeth. Instead I have a fast
and long tongue that helps me catch
and eat my food/prey.
I rely on my hearing and smell to help
me catch insects.
I have an oily fur that is waterproof
and helps me stay dry and warm.
I have strong teeth and a strong jaw
to help me take down trees and
branches to build my home.
Beaver
Who Am I?
I have a super thick layer of
blubber to help keep me warm in
my cold environment.
I have large sensitive whiskers to
help me find prey/food.
I use my really long tusk to climb
out of the water and dig in the ice.
Walrus
I have poor eyesight but can smell
very well which is how I find food.
My coat has stiff sharp spines that
help protect me from predators.
I have a very long thin snout. I can
stick it into mounds to grab insects.
I hibernate during cold times so I do
not have to use a lot of energy trying
to stay warm.
Ant Eater
Hedgehog
Charades
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Lizards
Frog
Giraffes
Monkeys
Kangaroos
Polar bears
Camel
Duck
Rattle snake
Squirrels
Alligators
Snails
Turtles
Possum
Armadillo
Owl
Eagle
Prairie dogs
Cheetah
Electric Eel
Boa constrictor
Ants
Jelly fish
Dolphin
Scorpion
Beaver
Ant Eaters
Rabbits
Skunk
Rhino
Hedgehogs
Porcupine
Piranha
Bee
Octopus
Humans
T-rex
Walrus
Peacock
Spider
Mosquitoes
Elephant
Bat
Wild Hog (Razor back)
Leopard
Grasshopper
Shark
Seal
Starfish
Crab
Pics
Sculpt
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© Marianne Dobrovolny – Region 17 Education Service Center
Graphics are from various online resources and are intended for educational purposes only.
Page 17