Adaptations are physical and mental changes that help certain organisms survive in different ecosystems. Some adaptations are purely physical. Fish have fins to help them swim and gills that let them breathe underwater. Without those two special traits, they would have a very hard time surviving in their watery environment. Animals also adapt through certain behaviors. When threatened, a porcupine extends its quills, making it very hard for a fox to eat them.Some Adaptations are:
- Living together- This allows them to help each other find food, defend against predators and care for young.
- Flight- 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 predators, explore new territories and look for resources that might otherwise be out of reach.
- Migration- Migration allows animals to escape the cold weather and to escape other forms of weather.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Nest Parasitism- Some females relish the joy of motherhood, while others would just as soon let somebody else do the work for them.