Animals depend on food, water, and shelter to survive. An animals' physical features can also help them obtain food, hide from enemies, build a home, attract a mate, and withstand weather. These physical features are known as adaptations. Animals can develop adaptations over generations. These adaptations can be the shape of a bird's beak, the color and thickness of fur, powerful back muscles, or even an animal's eyes. We can learn a lot about survival from animals. How does a Gila monster stay cool in the warm sun? How can a giraffe go for long periods without water? How have the alligator's eyes adapted so they can see underwater?
Using the various resources available today, look into your favorite animal and what adaptations it has developed over the past centuries. You might learn something you never knew before!
Posted by Breanna
My favorite animal is the elephant. I find its social and emotional attachments with its family unit to be utterly amazing. However, one of the coolest facts I ever learned is about the zebra. As soon as a zebra is born, its mother blocks its view, so that all the baby can see is its mother's body. Within the first few minutes of its life, the newborn memorizes its mother's unique stripe pattern and can pick her out of a running herd of zebras. Is that absolutely awesome or what?! Submitted by Audria
ReplyDeleteMy favorite animal is a penguin. They are amazing different little creatures. To me it is amazing what Emperior Penguins do for their chicks, they march miles from the sea to their nesting place where the females lay the egg and than the male penguin takes over and for weeks on end protect and keep the egg warm, while the females go back to the sea to hunt. Once the chick is born the father gives them the last bit of food in them. The females come back just in the nick of time for the males to go hunting. They have to hurry to make the exchange of the chick or it dies from exposure.
ReplyDeleteDawn
Last night I watched a TV show on crazy and dangerous footage people around the world have captured on their own video cameras. This couple was on a safari driving through Tanzania Africa, when the driver stopped and turned off the engine. There were two male giraffes huffing and circling one another. All of the sudden they began to fight - taking their necks and violently hitting one another with them. They were trying to hit the bottom of each others' bellies where it is extremely tender and sensative. The woman said every time one of the giraffes took a blow, she could hear bones cracking. The driver said they were fighting over a female and it is common for giraffes to fight until death. Luckily the younger giraffe gave up and walked away. I was amazed at the footage because I have always thought of giraffes as passive and non-aggressive animals. It was so crazy to watch.
ReplyDeleteBy Deb
Kelly's favorite animal is the monkey. Not only are they entertaining to watch and can be disgusting at times, but they are also interesting in their behaviors.
ReplyDelete(Nicole) Although I'm not an animal person it is interesting to read the facts that others have found out.I thought I would look into fish because it is the holiday season and people, as fish, tend to like shiny and sparkling objects during the holidays. I found that a fish's body needs to adapt in order to live in different habitats, this includes the shape of their body, fin location, coloration and their mouth size and orientation.
ReplyDelete(Randy) It is very interesting to understand just how many animals have had to adapt in order to survive. Spending time in Alaska I have found it very interesting how the Polar bear has had to make certain adaptations in order to survive.
ReplyDeleteI think it was the DVD set "plant earth" that discussed this very topic. The one section of the film focused on a mother and her two cubs. Because of the ice cap melting and the seasons changing ever so slighly, the chance of polar bears suriving is becoming less and less as each year passes.
My favorite animal is an elephant. Did you know that they can live up to 70 years and they can swim very long distances. They live in very tight social units that are lead by a matriarch. So cool. Who knew elephants were femenists? That must be why I like them. Plus they survive even though their hearing and eyesight is poor. They are amazing animals and it is no wonder why so many cultures respect them. (Summer)
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not much of an animal lover, I am currently in my kitchen right now which is decorated with chickens! This has reminded me of my love for birds. Did you know that the large bones in a chicken such as drumsticks are light and air-filled? The bill is part of the skeleton and is thin and lightweight. Amazingly, chicken bills contain no heavy teeth; however, fossils of earlier bird species such as their reptilian ancestors do have teeth. This was an adaptation to reduce weight for flying.
ReplyDeleteAs far as breastbones are concerned, the more powerful the flier, the larger the breastbone. Flightless birds do not even have breastbones!
To find out more about the adaptations of birds you can visit this website http://www.backyardnature.net/birdbone.htm
(Lea)
So I'm visiting my family in Mesa and my brother informed me about some interesting facts about dolphins. Dolphins are dark on top so it will blend into the darkness of the sea floor from predators above. They are white on the bottom to protect themselves from predators looking up because they will blend into the lightness of the sky. Very cool!
ReplyDelete-Shar