ANIMAL

ADAPTATIONS
MADE BY
VYOMA PATEL, PARTHVI PATEL AND NANDINI SONI.
COMMUNAL OR FAMILY GROUPS
 Of all the wonderful adaptations in the animal kingdom,
perhaps the most important is the habit of living together in
communal or family groups. Animals can derive a lot of
benefit from spending time with other members of the
same species. They can help each other find food, defend
against predators and care for young. Countless species
engage in group living, either in herds, colonies, harems,
complex societies or loose associations. But perhaps the
simplest and most common form of group living in the
natural world is that of nuclear families, which may consist
of a male/female couple with their young, a single male and
various females and young, a group of females and their
young, or whatever combination works best.
EVOLUTION OF FLIGHT
 Animals have evolved a number of ways of navigating the
Earth, including walking, swimming, climbing and
hopping. But the evolution of flight, takes maneuvering on
this planet to a higher level. Flying not only delivers an
animal from one place to another much faster than
lumbering along with a pair of legs, it also allows creatures
to escape predation, explore new territories and look for
resources that might otherwise be out of reach. And
although we rely on machines rather than our own
anatomical abilities in the air, being able to fly has certainly
transformed human society.
MIGRATION
 Migration, one of the greatest adaptations in the animal
kingdom and one that is used by a variety of different
species. Nothing in nature is more awe-inspiring than the
movement of a population of animals along the horizon as
they migrate from one place to another. The reasons for
migration are varied, but they usually have to do with
finding food and a good place to mate. Some animals cover
large parts of the globe with their migration routes. For
example, the arctic tern makes an annual migration from its
breeding grounds in the Arctic to its wintering grounds in
Antarctica, covering a distance of 25,000 miles.
CAMOUFLAGE
 The ability to blend into the surrounding environment can
come in handy when trying to avoid a predator, especially
for those animals with little else in their defense arsenal.
Several animal species, including scorpionfish and leaf
frogs, can change their appearance to match their
surroundings. Others can make themselves appear to be
something boring, like the walking stick, which looks very
much like a twig. Zebras are another animal that uses
camouflage to fool would-be predators; to a lion, a herd of
zebras may look more like a mass of black-and-white strips
than a delicious prey species.
HIBERNATION
 Having to get out of bed on cold winter days can be
unpleasant enough to make hibernation seem like a pretty
smart idea. After all, it's a great way to escape the cold and
an ingenious method of surviving in harsh conditions or
when resources are scarce. A lot of animals hibernate,
including chipmunks, hedgehogs, bats and bears. Some
animals, such as the America black bear, snooze through
winter but can be aroused from their slumber somewhat
easily. Others, such as most small mammals, enter a deeper
state of suspended animation. It is usually quite difficult to
stir these animals during hibernation
RESOURCE CONSERVATION
 For animals that live in areas where resources such as food
and water are scarce for long periods of time, the ability to
conserve fat and water in the body can mean the difference
between life and death. A stunning example of resource
conservation comes from the Bactrian camel, a two-humped
ungulate that lives in the rocky and arid regions of Central
and Eastern Asia, where temperatures range from -20°F in
winter to 100°F in summer. Bactrian camels have a couple of
key adaptations that help them to survive these harsh
conditions. First, their humps are filled with fat, which can
be converted into energy and water in lean times. Second,
they can forgo sweating until their body temperatures reach
nearly 105°F.
ARTIFICIAL BIGNESS
A lot of species in the animal kingdom try to
appear larger in order to ward off predation, but
the blowfish, also called a puffer or balloonfish, for
its ability to puff up to about twice its normal size
in response to a predator's advance. When
threatened, blowfish pump air or water into their
extremely elastic stomachs to the point of being
nearly spherical in shape with their spines and
scales protruding. At that point they can barely
move, but it doesn't usually matter since they are
virtually inedible in that form.
HAIR
 For most people, hair is a decorative yet essentially
unnecessary feature of their anatomy. But to most mammals
in the wild, hair offers important protection from the
elements. The musk ox is a superb example. It has an
important adaptation to its bitterly cold home on the vast
Alaskan tundra: Its thick, shaggy hair hangs down to the
ground and gives the ox the protection it needs to endure
frigid temperatures. Such fur helps the animal survive as
winter temperatures drop to an average of -30°F. Some of the
hair is shed in time for summer, allowing the musk ox to
cool down as temperatures reach 40-50°F.
BE PREPARED
 One of the most important rules at a dog park is to bring the
essentials: a leash, poop bags and plenty of water. The poop
bags and leash are things no dog owner should ever be
without, but nothing says "dog park newbie" like showing
up without water for your panting pooch. Also, remember
to bring a towel for clean up, dogs love to dig and roll
around in dirt whenever they have the chance. But one
thing you should never bring to a dog park is food, unless
you're hoping to be mauled by a pack of hungry hounds.
NEST PARASITISM
 Some females relish the joy of motherhood, while others
would just as soon let somebody else do the work for them.
For example, certain cuckoo birds are famous for their habit
of nest parasitism, which refers to laying their eggs in the
nests of other species, who then feed and care for the
cuckoos' orphaned offspring. As is the case with most nest
interlopers, the young cuckoos are larger and more
aggressive than the hatchlings of the host nest. In the stiff
competition for food, the weaker nest-mates usually die.
Sometimes, the young cuckoos will push other eggs or
chicks out of the nest, thereby eliminating the competition
in the first place. It's an excellent adaptation for the cuckoo,
but a disastrous one for the nest-owner.