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What are Adaptations?

An adaptation is something that helps a plant or an animal survive in its environment. If an adaptation is good and helps them survive it is passed on to their babies to help them survive too.

Imagine you woke up this morning on an island. There’s no school so you do a happy dance and then lie down to relax in the sun. It is getting pretty hot though. So hot, in fact, that you think you can smell yourself cooking.

Describe in your own words what you think is happening in the image below (hint* camouflage).

Play the peppered moth game and see how camouflage as an adaptation can make a difference to an animal’s survival. 

Adaptations can be a part of the body (physical) or might be something a plant or animal does (behavioural).
Wombats are a good example of both types of adaptation.

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Wombat Adaptations
Wombats dig a burrow to sleep in during the day when it is hot. A classic behavioural adaptation.
Field camera image provided by Peter Ridgeway
A physical adaptation example is that wombats have a pouch that faces backwards so dirt doesn’t get in when it digs a burrow.
Image provided by Adrian O'Hara 
Wombats have a bony plate in their bottom that protects them against bites and scratches (a physical adaptation) and this same bony, tough bottom is used to crush the skull of a predator against the roof of their burrow (a behavioural adaptation).
Field camera image provided by Peter Ridgeway

Plants also have both types of adaptations.

Physical Adaptations

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Plant Adaptations

Plants will grow quickly towards any sunlight so they can make food from the sun’s energy. This is a behavioural adaptation.

Some plants have the physical adaptation of very spikey leaves to stop animals from eating them. 
Some plants have large green leaves to get as much sunlight as possible. This is another physical adaptation.
 

Match the following adaptations as either a physical or behavioural adaptation…

Adaptations don’t happen overnight. It has taken a very, very long time for the adaptations we see in our plants and animals today to develop. These adaptations make them able to survive in their own environment. They can’t go on a holiday to a completely different environment like we can.

Activities - What are adaptations?

1. Wombat tee ball

Wombat tee ball, what is that?  Find out how to play here - 'Wombat Tee Ball'.
 

2. Why burrow?

Conduct this experiment to find out why animals might use burrows. Find details here -  'Why Burrow?'.
 

3. Observe a plant's behavioural adaptation

Conduct this experiment to find out tthe growing habits of plants. Find details here -  'Observing Plants Growth'.

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