SC.5.L.17.1 Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in

different environments such as life cycles variations, animal behaviors and physical characteristics.

Objective: To compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals such as animal behavior and physical

characteristics.

Animal Adaptation Picture Sort

Each animal picture has at least one description of a behavior and/or physical characteristic. Cut out each

picture and separate the image from the description prior to the activity.

Students will turn over each picture and lay them out on the table in front of them. Then, have students read

each description to find the animal associated with the description. Students will use context clues within each

description to help them correctly identify each animal.

Note: The purpose of this activity is for students to practice using context clues and critical thinking skills to

help with the identification of each animal. The expectation is NOT that students be 100% proficient in the

identification of each animal behavior(s) and/or physical characteristic(s).

Octopus

Desert Horned Lizard

Pe

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s

When chased by a predator, this organism will give itself an opportunity to escape by

releasing a dark pigment along a jet stream of water. This “ink” contains a chemical

that temporarily prevents the predator from using its sense of smell. It also has eight

arms. The two rear-most arms function as legs, used to push off of the ocean floor.

The other six arms are used to grab objects, feel around, and feed the

organism.

This organism has spikes, the ability to flatten themselves to avoid being eaten, and a camouflaged body that allows it to

blend in with the desert floor.

The darker black colors on this organisms back blends in with surrounding ocean

waters, protecting them from predators in the sky while white feathers along their

underbellies hide them from animals below the surface.

Great White Heron

Nephila (spider)

Gira

ffe

This organism stalks the quiet waters of large rivers and lakes looking for prey, such

as fish, frogs, snakes, and crayfish. The large white bird has long legs for wading and a sharp bill designed for grasping or

spearing slippery prey. Its long neck provides the bird with the ability to make

quick stabbing motions at its prey.

This organism has many adaptations that include sticky webs, venom, and quick movement to name a few. Some have

additional coloration adaptations, such as warning colors or camouflage.

This organism is well adapted to life in the savanna. They drink water when it is

avialable but can go weeks without it, they reley on morning dew and the water

content of their food. Their very long necks are an adaptation to feeding at high levels

in the treetops.

Blue Poison Dart Frog

Green Sea Turtle

Bottlenosed Dolphin

This organism has brightly colored skin that warns other animals to stay away. Their

skin is poisonous and kills potential attackers.

This organism is a strong swimmer. It has forelimbs that are modified into long,

paddle-like flippers for swimming. The neck and limbs are nonretractile. The shell

adaptation necessary for retractile limbs would impede rapid swimming.

This organism can hold its breath for about 12 minutes. It has a single blowhole on the

top surface of its head. The blowhole is covered by a muscular flap, which provides

a watertight seal.

Arctic Fox

Coyote

Hippopotamus

This organism is well adapted to live in the cold Arctic. In the winter its thick, bushy

coat turns white. This makes it very hard to see in the snow.

This organism has many adaptations. The first adaptation is the claws that help it tear food. The second is camouflage. Its gray,

white, tan, and brown fur helps the organism hide in the grass and the rocks. Also, its strong muscles help it run fast to

catch its prey.

The eyes, ears, and nose of this organism are located on the top of the head, enabling

the species to see, smell, and hear while the rest of its body is underwater. They have very long and sharp teeth. These teeth never stop growing, but stay worn

down to a manageable size from frequent use. They have gray, mostly hairless skin

with pink bellies.

Raccoon

Cardinal

Alligator

This organism is one of the few that have adapted extremely well to humans invading their territory. Their broad diet allows them

to eat almost anything that is available. They often search through trash for food and their hand-like paws make this task

much easier.

This organism is primarily a seed eater. They have specially adapted beaks to help

them with their diet. Their short, thick beaks allow them to easily crack seeds.

This organism uses camouflage to hide. Their skin is covered with bumps to look like vegetation on water. It has webbed toes for living in the water and eyes and nostrils placed on top of the head to stay

almost submerged and still able to see and breath well. They also have up to 80 teeth.

Elephant

Horned Rattlesnake

Flo

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ther

This organism has tusks that can measure up to eleven feet in length and are used for

digging, fighting, and feeding.

This organism is unique because of its sideways form of locomotion with its body moving in an S-shaped curve. It uses its “rattle” to let other organisms know that

they are too close.

This organism has some specific adaptations that help them survive in the Florida Everglades. One of their physical adaptations is the retractable claws that spring out when they attack their prey.

Crab

Bald

Ea

gle

Lion

This organism has two front claws used to acquire food and to tear apart a large array of prey from fish to clams. They also serve as a tool for burying themselves into the surface

to protect themselves from predators.

Sharp talons help this organism to grab prey while hunting and tear apart flesh

during feeding. They have excellent eye sight to help them find food from the sky.

This organisms roar is used to communicate with other group members

and warn intruders of territorial boundries. They also have long, retractable claws

that help them grab and hold prey.

Asia

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Blue Morpho Butterfly Walrus

When threatened, this organism usually uses their claws, which is capable of drawing

blood, rather than their tail. Its exoskeleton is made of minerals, which means they don’t actually have any bones. They also have a sticky substance on four of their eight legs that they use to not be blown away by the

wind when they climb trees.

This organism flies in a highly specific manner. The flight of this organism is designed to shwo the blue color of the wing as little as possible, so as not to

draw attention to the insect.

Under its thick skin, this organism has a layer of blubber (body fat). This provides them with insulation in the freezing water and also protects it from the cold wind as it lies out on the ice. It also uses its tusks

as hooks for pulling its heavy body up onto land, searching for food on the ocean

floor, and as a defensive weapon for protection from polar bears or killer

whales.

Spotted Salamander

Golden Toad

Eastern Newt

This organism has smooth, moist skin, covered with bright orange spots. Its back

and tail is poisonous. This adaptation keeps other animals from eating it. They

can also drop their tails. If a predator grabs the tail of this organism, this

adaptation lets it escape and then grow a new one.

This small, shiny, bright-orange organism has not been seen anywhere in the world since 1989. Since it is cold-blooded, they bask in

the Sun to keep warm.

This organism becomes brightly colored when sensing danger. Their poisonous

skin is a shade of orange with several spots of red and black.

Great White Shark

Pill Bug

Pacific Sea Nettle (jellyfish)

This torpedo shape organism makes it built for speed in the water. They are also

known for their razor sharp teeth – 300 total in up to seven rows. To protect itself, this organism can roll its eyes backward into their eye sockets when threatened. Its sense of smell is so strong that it can smell a single drop of blood up to three

miles away.

This organism is capable of defending themselves from predators by curling their

tiny bodies up into balls. They react to annoyance and fearful situations by immediately taking on this shape.

Found in the Pacific Ocean, this organism has tentacles that can grow up to 15 feet long. It is able to identify changes of light around them. This can help them to find

threats or to locate food resources.

Lionfish

Channel Catfish

Moray Eel

One adaptation of this organism is its reddish-brown and white striped coloring across its entire body. Since it lives in

coral reefs, the coloration of its body helps it camouflage in its habitat. This assists in

prey capture and protection from other predators.

This organism has a very keen sense of smell and taste. It has four pair of

“whiskers” surrounding the mouth that assist with locating food in dark, stained,

or muddy water relative ease.

These elongated snakelike fish are found all around the world. They have a variety of different skin patterns from plain brown to blue and yellow. This adaptation allows

them to copy the environment they live in; a technique used for hunting without being

noticed by unfortunate prey.

Anglerfish

Stingray

Rainbow Trout

This organism uses a glowing bulb that grows from the its head to lure prey and

has a large mouth and expandable stomach to consume large prey.

This organism has eyes on the top of the body so that while it lies in wait for prey in the sand, it can still see above itself. Its flat body allows it to swim on the ocean floor or bury itself in the sand where it

lurks for food.

This organism got its name from the beautiful colors that shine on their skin. They have an innate desire to return to spawn in the same stream as they were

hatched.

Chickens

Caro

lina

An

ole

American Bullfrog

The male organisms will crow to alert other males about their territory. The female

organism will cluck after laying an egg and also use this vocalization to gather their

young.

These organisms are strongly territorial. The males have been

known to fight their own reflections in mirrored glass. They are a small to medium-sized lizard, with a slender

brown to green body.

This organism’s greenish brown skin color makes it hard for predators like herons, garter snakes, and raccoons to locate them. Its long

legs help it leap to further places. They can leap around 3 to 6 feet in distance; it also helps them

dig holes to keep cool and shelter itself.

Gopher Tortoise

Red-eared Slider

Ostriches

These organisms have shovel-like front legs that help them to dig, and their back

legs are strong and sturdy. There burrows can be up to ten feet deep and 40 feet

long. There shell hardens at about six to seven years of age.

This organism gets its name from the small red stripe around their ears. Its hard shell is used to protect them from predators which they are also able to

pull themselves into.

This bird is too big to fly but has become so perfectly adapted to high-speed running that it is the fastest creature on two legs. At speeds of

up to 44 mph, it can easily outrun most enemies.

Fire Salamander

Great Crested Newt (larva)

Great Horned Owl

This organism is black with yellow spots or stripes. The bright colors are a signal to

predators that this organism is venomous.

During its larva stage, this organism uses its tail to help it swim faster.

This organism has a keen sense of hearing and sharp vision in low light, both used for hunting. It can not only

see what is right in front of it, but it can turn its head halfway around to

see what is behind it. Its hooked beak does not interfere with its binocular vision, which helps determine the

distance of its prey.

Red Earthworm

Mosquito

Frog Tadpoles

Each segment of this organism’s body has a number of bristly hairs. These hairs provide grip to help the organism move through the soil. It is usually reddish brown to reddish violet in color.

This organism has specialized mouth structures and a digestive system that

may be used for sucking blood to obtain nutrients.

This adaptation can protect the organism from being eaten. They grown red tails in response to the

presence of dragonflies. The vibrant colors make these organisms appear larger or distasteful to their predators. After about nine weeks, this organism

will lose the majority of its tail and grow a long tongue.

Inchworm

Jellyfish

Lion’s Mane Jellyfish

This organism takes on the appearance of its natural surroundings, whether they are

climbing along tree branches, inching up flower stems, or resting among leaves.

This organism’s transparent body makes it less visible to predators. Their tentacles carry stinging cells that stun prey or deter

predators.

This organism gets its name from the mass of long, thin, hair-like tentacles found hanging from the underside of the bell-shaped body. The tentacles can extend outwards in a fan-like trap

through which only the smallest of animals can pass without being caught.

Common Earthworm

Cannonball Jellyfish

Oysters

Each segment of this organism’s body has a number of bristly hairs. These hairs provide grip to help the organism move through the

soil.

As a defense against predators, this organism is able to release toxic mucus

that can kill small fish and other creatures. It gets its name from its similarity to a

cannonball in shape and size.

This organism is known for its ability to close its shell in response to predators trying to eat their soft core. One of the

most remarkable properties of this organism is their ability to produce pearls.

Land Snail

Squid

Giant African Land Snail

This organism can retract into its shell to protect them from predators and the

elements. This land organism also has lungs, unlike their freshwater and marine

counterparts that have gills.

This organism has ten arms. Two of their arms are longer than the other eight called tentacles. They have a sharp beak on their mouths that they use to break open shells. Unlike octopuses that live in dens on the sea floor, this organism lives in the open

oceans.

This organism has a light to dark brown shell with vertical stripes of a darker shade

of brown on them. They are nocturnal, moving around at night to feed on a wide

range of plants.

Clams

Florida Crown Conch

Bush Cockroach

This organism is known for its ability to close its shell in response to predators

trying to eat their soft core.

These organisms are native to the coasts of the Caribbean, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. As they get

older, their shell becomes thicker.

This organism is dated around 300 million years old. Unlike most other organisms, the brain of this organism is in its body instead

of its head. This means that when headless, they can live for nearly two weeks and will

eventually die from malnutrition.