Welcome to Science Class

Grade 3
Adaptation and variation
 Adaptations
An adaptation is a structure or
behavior that helps an
organism survive in its
environment.
 Adaptations
A. Adaptations that help animals to catch food:

Different beak sizes and shapes

allow birds to gather food in
different environments.
This is an example of adaptation.
 Adaptations
A. Adaptations that help animals to catch food:

The frog has a sticky

tongue help to
catch insects .
 Adaptations
B. Adaptations that help plant to protect themselves:

Spiky edges on the

bush’s leaves
protect it from
being eaten.
Adaptations that help animals to live in cold
temperatures:
Sea lions and walruses have a layer of fat called blubber
under their skin that helps them stay warm.
 Adaptations that help animals to live in hot
temperatures:

Some animals are adapted to living in hot or

cold climates.
Camels have patches to protect their legs,
so they are not burned when they kneel.
Camouflage: A kind of adaptation which
means the animal blends into its environment

A polar bear has an

adaptation called
camouflage, which
means it blends into
its environment.
 Camouflage
Camouflage helps living things stay safe.
A snake's skin pattern may match the ground it
lies on, making it difficult for a predator to see
the snake.
 Desert adaptation

Characteristics of desert:
1) It is a very dry environment.
2) It rains rarely.
3) The temperature is very hot
during the day and cold at night.
Organisms living in the desert have adaptations to help
them survive.

A. Adaptations for B. Adaptation for hot

little water. temperature.
 Organisms living in the desert have adaptations to help
them survive.
A. Adaptations for little water.

 Roots of the desert plants grow deep

or spread widely to find water

 Their stems adapted for storing water

inside.

 Many desert animals get their water

by eating plants or other animals.
 Cactus
 a) Has wide shallow roots to
soak up water
 b) Thick stem to store water
 c) Waxy coat helps seal in water
 d) Spines help protect cactus
from animals.
 Adaptation for hot temperature.

• Coyotes and rattlesnakes are nocturnal.

• Nocturnal means: active during the night
and sleep during the daytime.
• Jackrabbits stay cool by having small
bodies and long ears to help the heat
escape out of their bodies.
• Some animals have light colored bodies to
absorb less heat.
 Ocean

Characteristics of ocean:

They have salty water.

  Adaptations that help living things survive at salty
water.
Algae (are plant like organisms but not
plants).
1) They make their own food from sunlight
and have structures that are like leaves.
2) Algae that live in shallow water have
root-like structures for attaching
themselves to the ocean floor.
3) Algae that have no roots drift near the
ocean’s sunlight surface. (Ex. Kelp)
  Adaptations that help living things survive at salty
water.

Whales and dolphins

 Breathe air, so they hold their
breath for a long time when they
dive deep to look for food and
when they need air they go
quickly to the surface.
  Adaptations that help living things survive at salty
water.
• Fish: fish have gills for
getting oxygen from
water.

• Many animals have fins

for swimming quickly
and control their
movement
  Adaptations that help living things survive at salty
water.
• Migrate: it is a behavioral
adaptation means to move
from one place to another.

• Why do animals migrate?

1. To find food
2. To reproduce
3. When water temperature has
changed.
 Forest Adaptation

ANIMALS

PETS WILD ANIMALS

Characteristics of Forest:
LAND • Forests WATERhave many trees LANDgrowing WATER
Mercury is a Jupiter is the Earth is the Venus is a very
small planet near one another.
biggest planet planet with life hot planet
• The treetops are on the sunlight
 Adaptations of plants to live in forests

 Some plants in tropical rain forest (very

wet forests) have grooves that allow water
to drain off easily.

 Plants living on the ground have large

leaves to catch as much sunlight as
possible.

 Plants In temperate forests (cold and dry

winter and little sunlight) shed their leaves
in autumn, so they will need less water.
 Adaptations of animals to live in forests.
 Skunks sprays stinky chemical on
predators.
 A porcupine defends itself with many
sharp quills.
 Some animals hibernate during the
cold winter in some forests.
 Some can do mimicry to hide from
their predators or their prey while
they are moving.
 Hibernate: to rest during winter to
use little energy without eating.
 Mimicry: to look like another
organism.
Thank you
ANIMAL ICONS