Animals
Inherited Traits
(what are animals born with)
& Adaptations
(that help them survive)
The hump stores water
so the camel can
survive without water
for up to 2 weeks
Long eyelashes, ear hairs,
and nostrils that seal to
prevent sand from entering
A rugged mouth
allows the camel to
eat thorny plants
The camel has a thick
coat that can reflect
sunlight to help keep it
cool
The wide feet to keep the
camel from sinking in the
sand.
Flapping the LARGE
ears helps to cool the
elephant in the HOT
African climate.
Hairs on the end of the
tail for swatting flies
Tusks for protection
and gathering food.
LARGE round legs and
feet help to support the
weight of the elephant
Trunk for smelling, drinking,
communicating, gathering food,
Flapping the small ears
helps to cool the
elephant. Asia is cooler
than African so this
elephant doesn’t need to
cool as much as the
African elephant.
Hairs on the end of the
tail for swatting flies
LARGE round legs
and feet help to
support the weight of
the elephant
Trunk for smelling, drinking,
communicating, gathering food,
Uses its quills for defense
Is a good swimmer its hollow quills help
keep it afloat
Has hairless soles on its feet that help it
climb trees; climbs trees to find food
it has pouched cheeks
that it uses to store
and carry food
Protects its nose from the cold by curling
its bushy tail around its body
Has short legs and nose, thick fur and
small ears are adaptations that help it
survive in cold climates; Because its
legs are so short and its ears and
nose are small, they are less exposed
to the cold
Has thick fur and hair on its paw pads
that help keep it warm. The fur on its
paws also gives the fox traction so it
doesn't slide on the ice
Its white coat serves as camouflage
in the winter
A red fox has longer ears and nose –
different adaptations than an Arctic Fox,
because keeping warm is not as important to
the red fox.
Its tail is prehensile. A prehensile tail is adapted for grasping
and wrapping around things like tree limbs so it can find food
and escape predators
Has opposable hallux. A hallux is like a thumb. The
opossum's "thumbs" are on its rear feet. The hallux helps
it grasp branches when it climbs.
It uses its tail to help maintain its balance when it is
gnawing on trees. It will also slap its tail against the
water to signal danger or to warn away predators.
Their rear legs are longer and their
webbed feet help propel them through the
water when they are swimming.
When the beaver is under water, its nose
and ears close up and a special
membrane covers its eyes.
The beaver waterproofs its thick fur by
coating it with castoreum, an oily
secretion from its scent glands.
The beaver has a thick layer of fat under
its skin that helps keep it warm
underwater.
The beaver has a
specialized digestive
system that helps it digest
tree bark.
Beavers have long sharp upper and lower
incisor teeth that they use to cut into trees
and woody vegetation. These teeth grow
throughout the beaver's life.
In order to survive, a polar bear instinctively goes into “winter
sleep” to conserve its energy when it has gone about two
weeks without food
Instincts are
• Something you (or an animals is born with)
• Examples of instincts are:
– Migration – birds flying south for the winter
– Homing – like when baby turtles instinctively
move to the sea as soon as they hatch
– Spider spinning webs
– Birds flying in a V-formation
What Are Some Learned
Behaviors?
• Raccoons learning to eat from trash cans
• Seal balancing a ball on it’s nose
• Proboscis monkey mothers must teach
their young which leaves are safe to eat
• Can you think of anything else?
Let’s Compare!
• Traits Animals Are
Born With
• Hair/fur color
• Eye color
• Size
• Homing (turtles to the
sea; salmon back to
where they were
born)
• Characteristics
Learned After Birth
• Learning to hunt
• Learning to eat from
trash cans
• Balancing a ball on
their nose
How Do Animals Modify Their
Environment?
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

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Beavers build dams
Earthworms aerate soil
Groundhogs dig holes for shelter
Birds build nests
Humans build home & roads; strip mine;
cut down forests;
How Do Animals Modify Their
Environment?
 Beavers gnaw trees & build __________
 Earthworms __________soil
 Groundhogs dig holes for__________
 Birds build__________
 Humans build__________