The Animal Kingdom
Adaptation
An adaptation is a trait that makes an organism suited to its environment. Adaptation is the result of evolution, which happens over a long period of time. An adaptation usually occurs because of a gene mutation, and that mutation can help the organism survive better than other organisms of the same species without the mutation. There are two different kinds of adaptations: structural and behavioural. Structural adaptations are the physical features of an organism that are needed to survive in the environment. Behavioural adaptations are the things that organisms do in order to survive.
An example of a structural adaptation is the thick white fur coat of a polar bear. Its fur is thick so it can survive the cold. Its fur is white to camouflage with its surroundings so it can “hide” from its predators to survive. Another example is how the bottlenose dolphin adapted to life underwater. The bottlenose dolphin’s ancestor was a terrestrial mammal. Later, it adapted to life underwater. The bottlenose dolphin’s limbs became fins and it is able to do echolocation to find its way underwater. Another example is zebras’ stripes. They adapted to have those stripes to camouflage, so lions – their predators- wouldn’t be able to see them because lions are colour blind.
An example of a behavioural adaption is how birds migrate north to south and south to north. When there is a scarcity of food and it gets cold in the north, the birds migrate south where there is more food and it is warmer so they can survive. When there is a scarcity of food and it gets hot in the south, the birds migrate north where there is more food and it is cooler so they can survive. Another example is how the Great Apes adapted behaviourally to walk on two legs instead of four limbs, eventually becoming humans.
It is amazing how much evolution can change an organism’s structure and behaviour a lot over a long period of time: from fish to amphibians to reptiles and then to mammals, which includes humans. A new specie can develop when the specie changes to have an advantage to suit its environment. When there are many structural and behavioural differences in the organism, it means that it cannot mate with the original form of the specie, becoming a new specie. This evolution shows the adaptations a specie had made to survive better in its environment. The characteristics of a specie that help it to survive better in its environment will be passed on to further generations, while the characteristics of a specie that don’t help it to survive in its environment will eventually disappear.
Here’s a twenty minute video that is about adaptations in different biomes:
An example of a structural adaptation is the thick white fur coat of a polar bear. Its fur is thick so it can survive the cold. Its fur is white to camouflage with its surroundings so it can “hide” from its predators to survive. Another example is how the bottlenose dolphin adapted to life underwater. The bottlenose dolphin’s ancestor was a terrestrial mammal. Later, it adapted to life underwater. The bottlenose dolphin’s limbs became fins and it is able to do echolocation to find its way underwater. Another example is zebras’ stripes. They adapted to have those stripes to camouflage, so lions – their predators- wouldn’t be able to see them because lions are colour blind.
An example of a behavioural adaption is how birds migrate north to south and south to north. When there is a scarcity of food and it gets cold in the north, the birds migrate south where there is more food and it is warmer so they can survive. When there is a scarcity of food and it gets hot in the south, the birds migrate north where there is more food and it is cooler so they can survive. Another example is how the Great Apes adapted behaviourally to walk on two legs instead of four limbs, eventually becoming humans.
It is amazing how much evolution can change an organism’s structure and behaviour a lot over a long period of time: from fish to amphibians to reptiles and then to mammals, which includes humans. A new specie can develop when the specie changes to have an advantage to suit its environment. When there are many structural and behavioural differences in the organism, it means that it cannot mate with the original form of the specie, becoming a new specie. This evolution shows the adaptations a specie had made to survive better in its environment. The characteristics of a specie that help it to survive better in its environment will be passed on to further generations, while the characteristics of a specie that don’t help it to survive in its environment will eventually disappear.
Here’s a twenty minute video that is about adaptations in different biomes: