Adaptation to low temperature
Polar bears live in very cold habitats in the Artic where there is ice the whole year round. How do they survive such freezing conditions? Study the physical characteristics of the polar bear to find out.
The thick fur and fat, black skin, small ears and short tail are adaptations which help a polar bear to survive the extremely low temperatures in its habitat.
Adaptations to the amount of light
While some animals are active during the day, others are active at night. Some of these nocturnal animals, such as cats and owls.
They have large eyes which are sensitive to small light. These adaptations help them to see well at night so that they can move around and catch their pray or escape from danger.
Many plants which are climbers and creepers live in the rain forest. Plants need to carry out photosynthesis. There is less light or near the ground in the shade of the tree.
By climbing up a tree with the help of clasping roots, the money plant can reach for more light to carry out photosynthesis. Hence, the leaves on top grow bigger!
Other plants such as vines have stems which can twine or bend around tall trees in the forest to reach for sunlight. Some vines have tendrils to help them climb.
Aquatic plants need light too. Water hyacinths are floating plants.
Adaptations for moving in water
Can you move easily in water? You can if you turn your body into a streamlined shape, as when you are swimming. Many types of fishes have streamlined bodies.
A streamlined body is one which has a narrow pointed head and end while the middle of the body is bigger and broader. A streamlined body shape helps a fish to move easily through water by reducing friction between its body and the water.
Apart from streamlined bodies, the fins of fishes are adaptations which help them to stay afloat and move in water.
Some fish have swim bladders (sacs filled with air inside) inside their bodies to help them stay afloat when they are not swimming. Others store oil in their bodies to keep afloat while resting.
Some aquatic animals do not have fins. Frogs, toads and water birds such as penguins and gulls have webbed feet while seals and turtles have flippers to help them move easily in water.
Adaptations for breathing in water
Fish and some other aquatic animals have gills to help them breathe in water.
Dolphins and whales are not fish and they do not have gills. They are sea mammals and have lungs, just like us. Hence, they cannot breathe underwater.
These sea mammals have nostrils (breathing holes) called blowholes on top of their heads to help them breathe in air when they come up to near the water surface.
The nostrils can be closed by muscles when they are underwater to prevent water from entering. They can hold their breath for a long time underwater before surfacing to breathe again.
Some insects like the water scorpion, water stick insect and mosquito larva and pupa have breathing tubes or air tubes which extend to the water surface to help them breathe in air.
Adaptations for getting more water
There is very little liquid water on the surface of deserts. Some deserts. Some desert plants have deep and long roots to reach for underground water.
Others have shallow roots which are spread across a large area to absorb as much water as possible whenever there is an occasional rainfall.
Adaptations for reducing water loss
Plants lose water through the stomata in their leaves. The larger the leaf, the more water is lost. Some desert plants have small, waxy or hairy leaves to reduce water loss through evaporation.
Cacti (singular: cactus) are plants which are well adapted to survive in a desert. The leaves of the cacti have reduced to needles or spines to reduce water loss.
The succulent (thick and fleshy) stems of the cacti are able to store water and carry out photosynthesis. The stems also have a waxy surface and few stomata to reduce water loss.
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