Awesome Adaptations (60 minute program)
Purpose: This lesson provides an overview of adaptations, their importance, and specific
examples of the variation of external features and behaviors that help animals (including
humans) to survive in their environments.
Audience: 3rd-5th grade students
Materials: markers (for “create a creature” drawing exercise), animal adaptation pictures
(power point if available), tape for thumb demo, animal specimens
-to obtain animal specimens, contact Dr. Steven Castleberry ([email protected])
-to obtain live herps, contact Dr. John Maerz ([email protected])
Learning Objectives: Following this lesson, students should be able to:
1. Define the word adaptation.
2. Explain why adaptations are important.
3. Identify specific adaptations that help animals to survive.
4. Assess environmental characteristics and develop a list of physical and behavioral
adaptations that would affect the survival of an animal in a particular environment.
I. Introduction (10 minutes) – What is an Adaptation?
What is an adaptation? Can you think of an example? Basically, an adaptation is a body
part or behavior that helps something to survive in its environment. Adaptations can be
in external features – based on the way something looks. Adaptations can also be
behavioral – based on the way an animal acts. Let’s think of an example:
Show pictures of Kalahari Bushmen vs. Alaskan Inuits
Here’s an example of two different groups of people that have adapted to their
environments. What do you notice? For example, based on the way they are dressed,
what can you tell about the temperature? Based on what they are doing, what can you tell
about their lives? Both the Bushmen and Inuits have adapted their look and their
lifestyles to fit their environment. We can find adaptations in the animal world too.
Here’s another example:
Show pictures of bears & seals (one their closest relatives)
What are these animals? Did you know that they’re actually close relatives? They just
look very different because they are adapted to survive in very different environments?
How can you tell? What features are different and why?
For the next 30 minutes, we’ll explore some amazing animal adaptations and figure how
each trait helps that animal to survive. When we’re finished, you’ll get to use what you
learned to create some cool adaptations on your own imaginary creature.
II. Amazing Animal Adaptations (10 minutes)
The animal world is full of really cool creatures with some amazing adaptations that help
to survive. You’ve probably seen a few of them on the Discovery Channel! I’m going to
show some pictures of some these creatures. When you the picture, try to answer these
questions:
 What is the animal?
 What is its special adaptation(s)?
 How does that adaptation help the animal?
If you look at the ways in which adaptations help animals, you’ll see some common
themes emerge. For example, adaptations help animals to:
 Move around (appendages)
 Find and capture food (appendages, body design, teeth/mouthparts, camouflage)
 Protect themselves from other animals (camouflage, bright colors, shells/armor,
fighting ability)
 Protect themselves from weather (fur, scales)
 Communicate with others (bird songs, mammal calls, etc.)
 Attract potential girlfriends/boyfriends (mating displays, bright colors)
 And many more!!!
Now that we’ve learned about adaptations from around the world, let’s learn more about
some adaptations of the creatures here near our homes in Georgia. To investigate, we’ll
break up into 2 groups.
III. Adaptation Stations (30 minutes total, 15 minutes per station)
Station 1 – Living Specimens
First, have students carefully observe (and touch, if possible) all of the living specimens
(perhaps drawing and/or taking notes). Discuss the special adaptations of each animal.
How do these adaptations help the animals survive in their habitat? Adaptations to
consider depend on the animals available, but may include:
 Turtle – shells, claws, webbed feet, scales
 Snake – scales, molting (shedding skin), tongue for smelling (Jacobson’s organ),
ear bone (columella) for sensing vibrations, some have venom, some use
camouflage/deception
 Salamander – permeable skin for cutaneous respiration, bright colors, camouflage
 Frog – permeable skin, long tongue for catching prey, legs for locomotion, vocal
sacs to attract mates, webbed feet for water
 Toad – paratoid glands behing eyes squirt poison to deter predators, coloration
suited for terrestrial life, smaller legs for locomotion, spadefoot suited for
burrowing, vocal sacs, long tongue
 Amphiuma – legs reduced for aquatic lifestyle, teeth for hunting other animals,
aerial respiration (no oxygen in stagnant swamps where they live)
Station 2 – Non-living specimens & Humans
Display relevant birds, mammals, and fish (one at a time) to the group. For each
specimen, determine at least 2 specific adaptations that would help that animal to survive
in its habitat. Adaptations to consider depend on the animals available, but may include:
 Flying squirrel – furry “wings” for gliding, fur for warmth/camouflage
 Short-tailed shrew – reduced eyes for semi-fossorial existence
 Bat – wings for flying, large ears for echolocation, uropotagium for catching prey
 Rabbit – long legs for locomotion, white tail for signaling and/or confusing
predators, large ears for detecting sounds
 Raccoon – “mask” could help with individual recognition, “fingers” as toes help
them manipulate food items, omnivores teeth
 Birds – beak adaptations, feathers (evolved from keratin scales) for insulation,
flight, displays, etc.
 Coyote skull – focus on canine teeth for biting/tearing, long skull – relies more on
smelling
 Bobcat skull –sharp canines, shorter skull - relies more on sight
 Rodent skull – absence of canines, two large incisors that grow continuously and
self-sharpen
 How do the teeth in these skulls compare to human teeth? (We’re omnivores, so
we have a little bit of everything – incisors, canines, molars.)
We’ve talked a lot about animal adaptations, so let’s think more about us? Humans are
probably the most successful organism in history. What is our most important adaptation?
Believe it or not, it’s probably our opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs means that we
can move our thumb around to touch all of other fingers. This allows us to pick things up
and do all sorts of things – probably leading to our increased brain size. Don’t believe
me? Try this…
Have students wrap masking tape around their thumb, attaching it to their hand. Then ask
them to attempt basic activities like tying their shoes or writing. You really need your
thumbs! Humans couldn’t live without them. Opposable thumbs are an important
adaptation to help us to survive.
IV. Conclusion - Create a Creature (10 minutes)
We’ve talked about all sorts of adaptations. Now let’s put your new knowledge of
adaptations to work! Look at the four pictures of habitats around the world (desert,
rainforest, swamp, grassland). Each environment is very different. An animal living in
each habitat would probably need special adaptations to survive. (Assign 1 of the 4
habitats to each student. Then pass out paper with short instructions.) Here’s your
challenge: Create a creature that you think would be well adapted to survive in one of
these habitats, then draw it in the space below. Be sure to think about some of these
things: What is the climate like? How would your animal move around? How would your
animal find and eat food? How would your animal protect itself?
When students have finishing creating their critters, have one person from each habitat
share their animal with the group and explain the special adaptations that help it to
survive. To conclude, emphasize the importance of adaptations and encourage students to
pay attention to living things all around them – every creature has its own unique and
amazing adaptations!
Bonus: Animal Adaptation Extremes
Largest animal = blue whale (over 100 feet, 190 tons – or five 18-wheeler trucks)
Largest land animal = African elephant (about 12 feet tall, 6-7 tons)
Largest invertebrate = giant squid (longest measured = 59 feet)
Strongest animal = rhinoceros beetle lifts 850 times its own weight
Fastest animal = cheetah on land (70 mph), sailfish in water (68 mph), peregrine falcon in
air (200 mph)
Loudest animal = blue whale (low-frequency sounds heard 500 miles away), howler
monkey is loudest on land (about 3 miles away)
Oldest animal = Galapagos tortoise (over 150 years old)
Smallest mammal = bumblebee bats of Thailand (2 grams – weight of penny)