Adaptations Overview

How Animals Survive

Giant Anteater Adaptations

Rattlesnake Adaptations

Word of the Week

Adaptation

An adaptation is something an organism has or does that helps them survive. Adaptations can be physical or behavioral and develop over many generations!


Adaptations are what make organisms perfectly designed for their environment.

Species Spotlight

North American Porcupine

Erethizon dorsatum

North American porcupines are the second-largest rodent in North America, following the American beaver. They can be found in many habitats in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. Porcupines found in wooded areas are known to be great climbers and will search for food and avoid predators up in the trees. In the northern part of their range, winters can be very harsh. While they do not hibernate, porcupines often hide in their dens during extreme weather. North American porcupines are normally solitary but can be found in small groups while hiding in their dens. During the winter, they survive off of bark and twigs, and in the warmer months, they feed on leaves, seeds, grasses, and fruit. 


You can’t picture a porcupine without its quills, which are actually just special hairs! Quills are made of keratin, just like our hair and fingernails, and are used to defend porcupines from predators, like lynx, coyotes, great horned owls, mountain lions, and fishers. When threatened, porcupines will turn their backs to the predator and raise and shake their quills as a warning. You may have heard that porcupines can shoot their quills, but this is just a myth. In order for the predator to get stuck with a quill, they have to bump into it. This may seem easy to avoid, but porcupines can run as fast backward as they can forwards, making them experts at sticking their attackers!

BRAIN BLAST

Porcupines are experts at avoiding predators. What other animals have adaptations to protect themselves from predators? Make a list and discuss!

Conservation Corner

Adapting Takes Time

There is no denying that humans are impacting the planet. As we cut down forests, release harmful gases into the atmosphere, and alter animal habitats, plants and animals are trying to adapt to the new conditions in their ecosystem. The production of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels is affecting weather around the world and causing many problems for wildlife. 


In the past, animals have adapted to the gradual changes in their environment. Humans are now changing the environment so fast that plants and animals are not able to adapt quickly enough. Luckily, the Earth is resilient and it's not too late for us to reverse these effects! 

Learn More

Why Do Animals Adapt?

Match each adaptation below to its correct function!

Why Do Animals Adapt Printable

Adaptations Challenge

Identifying Animal Adaptations

Select an animal that lives in your habitat and identify adaptations that help it survive the challenges your habitat presents. Think about how the animal...


  • Finds and collects food
  • Avoids predators
  • Survives climate challenges (cold winters or hot summers)
  • Builds or finds a shelter
  • Attracts a mate

Glossary

Adaptation

Something an organism has or does that helps them survive in their environment.

Aestivation

A prolonged state of inactivity in both ectotherms and endotherms that occurs during the summer.

Behavioral Adaptation

 Things organisms do or ways they act that help them survive.

Brumate

A state of inactivity in ectotherms (cold-blooded animals) during the winter months.

Camouflage

The ability for an organism to blend into their surroundings usually to hide from prey or predators.

Carnivore

An animal that eats other animals.

Climate

Weather conditions in a region over a long period of time.

Ectotherm

An animal that relies on the external temperature to regulate their body temperature (reptiles and amphibians). Also known as cold-blooded.

Endotherm

An animal that regulates their body temperature internally (mammals and birds). Also known as warm-blooded.

Evolution

The theory that heritable characteristics of a species change over generations to help that species better survive their environment.

Greenhouse Gases

Gases in the atmosphere that trap heat from the sun close to the Earth.

Herbivore

An animal that eats mostly plants.

Hibernation

An extended state of decreased activity and metabolic rate in endothermic (warm-blooded) animals during winter seasons.

Mimicry

Occurs when two species that are not closely related look similar.

Natural Selection

The theory that nature favors individuals within a species who have characteristics that make them more successful in their environment.

Omnivore

An animal that eats both plants and animals.

Physical Adaptations

Body parts or other physical parts of a plant or animal that help them survive

Predator

An animal that hunts other animals for food.

Prey

An animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal.

Shelter

A protected space where animals will go when there is danger or to raising offspring.

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