adaptation in animals – the idea that certain animals have developed features which help them survive in their environment

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adaptation in animals the idea that certain
animals have developed features which help them
survive in their environment
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Elephants

• Elephant's bodies are well adapted for survival
  in the rugged conditions of Africa. These special
  adaptations include

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Elephants

• The TrunkThe elephant's trunk does so much more
  than smell. This "hose nose" is also used for
  drinking (actually blowing water into the mouth),
  communication, feeding, chemo-communication,
  offense/defense, touching, lifting, greeting,
  caressing, throwing dust, and just about any
  other activity an elephant is involved in.

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Elephants
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Elephants

• EarsIn the hot African climate, keeping cool is
  a constant challenge. Believe it or not, an
  elephant's enormous ears (weighing up to 110
  pounds each), while exceptionally good at picking
  up sound, are also used as an air conditioner of
  sorts. When the temperature rises, elephants flap
  their ears. This cools blood flowing through
  vessels in the ears, which then flows back to the
  body, cooling it in turn.

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Giraffe

• Giraffes have many obvious physical adaptations
  to help them survive in the African savannas.

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Giraffe

• Camouflaged coat - Patches of different sizes and
  colors help hide the giraffe in the African
  savanna.
• Fringed tail - A fringe at the end of the tail
  keeps flies and other pests away.

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Giraffe

• Long neck - It is used to reach leaves in tall
  acacia trees.
• Long front legs - Unlike many animals, the
  giraffe's front legs are longer than the hind
  legs. These long front legs make it easier to
  reach tall leaves.

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Echidna

• An Echidna is a mammal and is also known as the
  Spiny Anteater. An Echidna's body is covered with
  long sharp spines set in short fur. These spines
  are the Echidnas defense mechanism. When
  attacked, it rolls itself in a tight ball and
  burrows out of reach.

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Echidna

• Echidnas have no teeth, but uses a long sticky
  tongue to penetrate ant and termite nests, which
  they have gauged open with their strong ripping
  claws.

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Echidna

• Shelter is where ever the echidna finds it and
  this could be in logs, under bushes or in caves.
  They are 35 - 45 cms long and can weigh 2-7 kg.
  The Echidna has a spur on its ankle but it is not
  poisonous.

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Gecko

• At 28 cm long, The Round Island Day Gecko is the
  largest of 27 species of day geckos. The smallest
  day gecko is only about 8 cm long. Most day
  geckos are bright green in color. The Round
  Island Day Gecko is probably the dullest looking
  one of all. It lives on palm trees and is
  perfectly camouflaged against the brown bark of
  the main stem of the tree.

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Gecko

• Geckos have special feet to help them climb up
  smooth surfaces. The flattened toes have
  elongated scales. A microscopic view would show
  thousands of tiny, hooked bristles that can hold
  on to any surface. This means they can easily
  climb up palm trees, as well as hide on the
  underside of leaves.

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Gecko

• They also have sharp teeth to penetrate the
  exo-skeleton of an insect. If attacked, Round
  Island Day Geckos have a unique way of defending
  themselves.

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Gecko

• The tail just drops off and lies moving around on
  the ground. Hopefully the enemy will pay
  attention to the tail while the gecko escapes.
  The stump quickly heals, and they will eventually
  grow a new tail.

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Kangaroo

• These animals are mostly found in the dry inland
  Australia, including desert, grassland, mallee,
  and mulga country. It is able to go with out
  drinking as long as green grass is available and
  it adapts well to drought.

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Kangaroo

• Despite its name, the Red Kangaroo is sometimes a
  blue-grey color, particularly the female. Even
  though these animals look cuddly, they are to be
  approached with caution. They have evolved with
  a  large claw attached to its hind leg.

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Kangaroo

• Red Kangaroos can hop as fast as 40 mph (64 km). 
  They use this as their first line of defense. 
  Kangaroos have a tendon in the leg which acts
  like a rubber band, conserving energy as the
  animal moves lands.  Red Kangaroos actually
  expand less energy in locomotion as they move
  faster, up to very fast speeds.

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Shark

• A shark is a fish. It breathes through its gills,
  has a backbone and lives in water. However,
  unlike all other fish, its skeleton is made from
  cartilage, not bone and they do not have scales
  but denticles. Also, they have five to seven gill
  slits rather than one each side as in bony fish.

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Shark

• Sharks can detect one part of blood per ten
  billion parts of water that means they could
  detect one drop of blood in an area the size of
  an Olympic swimming pool! The nose of a shark is
  only used for smell, unlike in humans where we
  also use our noses for breathing.

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African Wild Dog

• Location South Africa and east of Sahara

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African Wild Dog

• Wild dogs have a canine body shape like a wolf's,
  but they have larger, bat like ears and white
  tipped tails.  They have splotches of black,
  yellow, white, and dark brown, with no two dogs
  marked exactly the same.

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African Wild Dog

• Wild dogs have a highly developed social
  structure.  They live in packs that vary from 10
  to 15 animals, including males, females, and
  young.  Their packs are nomadic, and they roam
  across a range of 1 to 30 miles a day.  Members
  of the pack cooperate when hunting and raising
  their young.

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African Wild Dog

• Wild dogs have developed incredible speed and
  endurance for attacking prey.  They have been
  clocked at running 37 miles per hour for
  distances over 3 miles.  They also have
  specialized, large, bat like ears that allow for
  excellent auditory ability used for hunting and
  ritual ceremonies

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Lion

• A lion's roar can be heard up to 5 miles away.
  Roaring is believed to have a territorial
  function and to help animals locate each other.

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Lion

• Territories are scented marked with urine, feces,
  and head rubbing. Lions mark with their claws on
  trees and other signposts.  The mane of the male 
  provides protection from the claws and teeth of
  other males.

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Lion

• They eat anything they can catch and kill, and
  groups have even been observed killing
  rhinoceros. A lion can eat up to 35 grams of meat
  at a sitting. They drink freely when water is
  available, but they can survive only on the water
  they get from their prey for long periods of
  time.

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Lion

• Lions can run at speeds over 30 mph, but only
  over short distances. This speed is insufficient
  for catching a large antelope, so group stalking
  is an important hunting strategy. Lions appear to
  assess how much effort will be required for
  taking down a particular target, and if the prey
  is small enough to be taken by a single female,
  the other members of the hunting group will let
  her catch it alone.

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Polar Bear

• Polar bears have thick white fur. Their fur and
  layers of fat beneath their skin protect them
  from the Arctic cold. Their fur also provides
  camouflage when they are hunting. Polar bears
  have a keen sense of smell. They can smell food
  as much as 10 miles away. On land polar bears can
  run for short bursts at speeds of up to 35 miles
  per hour.

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Polar Bear

• They hunt seals such as the ringed seal and other
  animals for food.

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Skunk

• Sometimes the skunk will dig its own den, but it
  may also move into another mammals den. Skunks
  also live under old buildings. The skunk drags
  dried leaves and grass into its burrow to make a
  mat. In the winter, it might form a ball of grass
  and push this into the door of the den to keep
  out the cold wind.

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Skunk

• The skunk is the size of a house cat. Its eyes
  ane ears are small. It can not see too well, but
  its sense of hearing is good. During the day, a
  skunk sleeps. It hunts at night, walking slowly
  along, catching insects and looking for small
  fruit. It also eats meadow mice, gophers, moles,
  and chipmunks.

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Skunk

• The skunk has musk glands and can shoot a liquid
  that has a terrible odor.First, it gives a
  warning when something approaches it. With its
  legs stiff, the skunk stamps the ground with its
  feet, snaps its teeth, and its hairs stand
  up.Then,if necessary, the skunk swings its rear
  end round , lifts its tail up out of the way and
  shoots its musk. The liquid can shoot out as far
  as four meters. If it hits the enemy in the eyes,
  the enemy cannot see for a few moments.

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Zebra

• Each zebra has its own stripe pattern. The zebras
  recognize each other by their stripe pattern and
  by their smell. Some species have narrow close
  set stripes, while others have broader stripes.
• Zebras like to help groom each other.

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Zebra

• Zebras are black with white stripes. If you
  shaved a zebra, you would see that its skin is
  black

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This powerpoint was kindly donated to
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site and requires no registration. Please visit
and I hope it will help in your teaching.