🦊 Animal adaptations
A five-minute lesson. Tap play and I’ll read every step, or read along and tap 🔊 on any step.
What is an adaptation?
An adaptation is something about an animal's body, or the way it acts, that helps it live where it lives.
Keeping warm
A polar bear has thick fur and a layer of fat under its skin. They keep it warm on the Arctic ice.
Keeping cool
A fennec fox has very big ears. Heat leaves its body through them, which helps it stay cool in the hot desert.
Feet for the job
A duck's feet are webbed, like paddles. They push the water, so it swims well.
Hiding in plain sight
An arctic fox's coat turns white in winter and brown in summer, so it is hard to see against snow or rocks. That's called camouflage.
Things animals do
Some adaptations are actions. Many birds fly to warmer places for winter, and some bats sleep through the cold months.
Quiz: three questions
Draw it, and try it at home
Draw a made-up animal for a place you choose: a desert, the ocean or the snow. Give it two adaptations and label them. Then try this at home: Look at a pet, or a bird outside. Find one body part that helps it live where it lives. Tell a grown-up what it is and how it helps.
For teachers: Grades 2–4
- NGSS 4-LS1-1: Animals have structures that support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction.
- NGSS 3-LS4-3: In a habitat, some organisms survive well, some less well, and some not at all.