Animal Adaptations

Habitat - The place where an organism naturally lives is called its habitat.
Adaptations - The special features required by an organism to adjust itself in a habitat are called adaptations.

Terrestrial Animals -
Animals that live on land are called Terrestrial animals. Climatic conditions on land vary from place to place.

Adaptations in Polar Regions
Polar regions are extremely cold. Examples : Polar bears, arctic foxes, penguins, seals, walrus etc. These animals have thick hairy skin. They also have a thick layer of fat under their skins which is called blubber. Due to scarcity of food, animals like bear, frog and snake sleep through the winters. This winter long sleep is called hibernation.

Adaptations in Mountains
Mountains have very cold weather. Examples : Sheep, Mountain goat, Yak etc. These animals have thick fur on their body. They animals also have strong hooves to walk on the slopes.

Adaptations in Deserts
Deserts have very hot weather. Examples : Camels, lizards, snakes etc.
These animals have thick skin and less hair on their body. It helps them to prevent water loss from their body. Some animals like snails, lizards and earthworms sleep for a long time during summers to escape heat. This long summer sleep is called aestivation.
Camel is also called a ship of the desert because it has adapted to its conditions very well :-
Due to scarce availability of water, it drinks a lot of water at a time. It can stay without water for a long period of time. Hump on its back stores a large amount of fat. Its long legs and flat hooves help it to walk easily on the loose sand without sinking in it. It has double eyelids which prevents sand entering into the eyes.

Adaptations in Ambhibians-
Animals that live both on land and in water are called amphibians. Examples : Frog, Salamander etc. Most amphibians have lungs to breathe on land and moist skin which help them to breathe in water. Frogs have well developed hind limbs which help them to hop on land and together with webbed feet, it helps them to swim in water.

Adaptations in Aerial Animals-
Animals that can fly and spend maximum time in air are called aerial animals.Examples : Birds, bat, butterfly, dragon fly etc. They have hollow bones which keep their body light. They have boat shaped body to easily fly / glide in the air. They have wings and feather to fly. Insects have still lighter paper like wings which help them fly.

Adaptations in Arboreal Animals-
Animals that spend majority of their time on trees are called arboreal animals. Examples : Monkeys, squirrels, tree lizards, koala bear etc. They have strong limbs and sharp claws which help them to climb trees. Tail of monkeys help them to hang on the branches of the trees. Hairy tail of squirrel help it to maintain balance and avoid drops.

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