adaptation in
animals – the idea
that certain
animals have
developed features
which help them
survive in their
environment
Elephants
 Elephant's bodies are well adapted for
survival in the rugged conditions of
Africa. These special adaptations
include:
Elephants
 The Trunk
The elephant's trunk does so much more
than smell. This "hose nose" is also used
for drinking (actually blowing water into
the mouth), communication, feeding,
chemo-communication, offense/defense,
touching, lifting, greeting, caressing,
throwing dust, and just about any other
activity an elephant is involved in.
Elephants
Elephants
 Ears
In the hot African climate, keeping cool is a
constant challenge. Believe it or not, an
elephant's enormous ears (weighing up to 110
pounds each), while exceptionally good at
picking up sound, are also used as an air
conditioner of sorts. When the temperature
rises, elephants flap their ears. This cools
blood flowing through vessels in the ears,
which then flows back to the body, cooling it in
turn.
Giraffe
 Giraffes have many obvious physical
adaptations to help them survive in the
African savannas.
Giraffe
 Camouflaged coat - Patches of different
sizes and colors help hide the giraffe in
the African savanna.
 Fringed tail - A fringe at the end of the
tail keeps flies and other pests away.
Giraffe
 Long neck - It is used to reach leaves in
tall acacia trees.
 Long front legs - Unlike many animals,
the giraffe's front legs are longer than the
hind legs. These long front legs make it
easier to reach tall leaves.
Echidna
 An Echidna is a mammal and is also
known as the Spiny Anteater. An
Echidna's body is covered with long
sharp spines set in short fur. These
spines are the Echidnas defense
mechanism. When attacked, it rolls itself
in a tight ball and burrows out of reach.
Echidna
 Echidnas have no teeth, but uses a long
sticky tongue to penetrate ant and termite
nests, which they have gauged open with
their strong ripping claws.
Echidna
 Shelter is where ever the echidna finds it
and this could be in logs, under bushes
or in caves. They are 35 - 45 cms long
and can weigh 2-7 kg. The Echidna has a
spur on its ankle but it is not poisonous.
Gecko
 At 28 cm long, The Round Island Day
Gecko is the largest of 27 species of day
geckos. The smallest day gecko is only
about 8 cm long. Most day geckos are
bright green in color. The Round Island
Day Gecko is probably the dullest looking
one of all. It lives on palm trees and is
perfectly camouflaged against the brown
bark of the main stem of the tree.
Gecko
 Geckos have special feet to help them
climb up smooth surfaces. The flattened
toes have elongated scales. A
microscopic view would show thousands
of tiny, hooked bristles that can hold on to
any surface. This means they can easily
climb up palm trees, as well as hide on
the underside of leaves.
Gecko
 They also have sharp teeth to penetrate
the exo-skeleton of an insect. If attacked,
Round Island Day Geckos have a unique
way of defending themselves.
Gecko
 The tail just drops off and lies moving
around on the ground. Hopefully the
enemy will pay attention to the tail while
the gecko escapes. The stump quickly
heals, and they will eventually grow a
new tail.
Kangaroo
 These animals are mostly found in the
dry inland Australia, including desert,
grassland, mallee, and mulga country.
It is able to go with out drinking as
long as green grass is available and it
adapts well to drought.
Kangaroo
 Despite its name, the Red Kangaroo is
sometimes a blue-grey color,
particularly the female. Even though
these animals look cuddly, they are to
be approached with caution. They
have evolved with a large claw
attached to its hind leg.
Kangaroo
 Red Kangaroos can hop as fast as 40
mph (64 km). They use this as their
first line of defense. Kangaroos have
a tendon in the leg which acts like a
rubber band, conserving energy as
the animal moves lands. Red
Kangaroos actually expand less
energy in locomotion as they move
faster, up to very fast speeds.
Shark
 A shark is a fish. It breathes through its
gills, has a backbone and lives in water.
However, unlike all other fish, its skeleton
is made from cartilage, not bone and they
do not have scales but denticles. Also,
they have five to seven gill slits rather
than one each side as in bony fish.
Shark
 Sharks can detect one part of blood per
ten billion parts of water – that means
they could detect one drop of blood in an
area the size of an Olympic swimming
pool! The nose of a shark is only used for
smell, unlike in humans where we also
use our noses for breathing.
African Wild Dog
 Location: South Africa and east of
Sahara
African Wild Dog
 Wild dogs have a canine body shape like
a wolf's, but they have larger, bat like
ears and white tipped tails. They have
splotches of black, yellow, white, and
dark brown, with no two dogs marked
exactly the same.
African Wild Dog
 Wild dogs have a highly developed social
structure. They live in packs that vary
from 10 to 15 animals, including males,
females, and young. Their packs are
nomadic, and they roam across a range
of 1 to 30 miles a day. Members of the
pack cooperate when hunting and raising
their young.
African Wild Dog
 Wild dogs have developed incredible
speed and endurance for attacking
prey. They have been clocked at running
37 miles per hour for distances over 3
miles. They also have specialized, large,
bat like ears that allow for excellent
auditory ability used for hunting and ritual
ceremonies
Lion
 A lion's roar can be heard up to 5 miles
away. Roaring is believed to have a
territorial function and to help animals
locate each other.
Lion
 Territories are scented marked with urine,
feces, and head rubbing. Lions mark with
their claws on trees and other
signposts. The mane of the
male provides protection from the claws
and teeth of other males.
Lion
 They eat anything they can catch and kill,
and groups have even been observed
killing rhinoceros. A lion can eat up to 35
grams of meat at a sitting. They drink
freely when water is available, but they
can survive only on the water they get
from their prey for long periods of time.
Lion
 Lions can run at speeds over 30 mph, but only
over short distances. This speed is insufficient
for catching a large antelope, so group stalking
is an important hunting strategy. Lions appear
to assess how much effort will be required for
taking down a particular target, and if the prey
is small enough to be taken by a single female,
the other members of the hunting group will let
her catch it alone.
Polar Bear
 Polar bears have thick white fur. Their fur
and layers of fat beneath their skin
protect them from the Arctic cold. Their
fur also provides camouflage when they
are hunting. Polar bears have a keen
sense of smell. They can smell food as
much as 10 miles away. On land polar
bears can run for short bursts at speeds
of up to 35 miles per hour.
Polar Bear
 They hunt seals such as the ringed seal
and other animals for food.
Skunk
 Sometimes the skunk will dig its own den,
but it may also move into another mammals
den. Skunks also live under old buildings.
The skunk drags dried leaves and grass
into its burrow to make a mat. In the winter,
it might form a ball of grass and push this
into the door of the den to keep out the cold
wind.
Skunk
 The skunk is the size of a house cat. Its
eyes ane ears are small. It can not see too
well, but its sense of hearing is good.
During the day, a skunk sleeps. It hunts at
night, walking slowly along, catching
insects and looking for small fruit. It also
eats meadow mice, gophers, moles, and
chipmunks.
Skunk
 The skunk has musk glands and can shoot
a liquid that has a terrible odor.
First, it gives a warning when something
approaches it. With its legs stiff, the skunk
stamps the ground with its feet, snaps its
teeth, and its hairs stand up.
Then,if necessary, the skunk swings its rear
end round , lifts its tail up out of the way
and shoots its musk. The liquid can shoot
out as far as four meters. If it hits the enemy
in the eyes, the enemy cannot see for a few
moments.
Zebra
 Each zebra has its own stripe pattern.
The zebras recognize each other by their
stripe pattern and by their smell. Some
species have narrow close set stripes,
while others have broader stripes.
 Zebras like to help groom each other.
Zebra
 Zebras are black with white stripes. If you
shaved a zebra, you would see that its
skin is black
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completely free site and requires no registration. Please
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