© A. Weinberg

Adapted From SOL 3.4

By Ms. Weinberg

© A. Weinberg

What if you are having a snowball fight?

You probably run away from the person throwing at you, and maybe even try to sneak up on that person

and throw some snowballs!

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Now let’s learn about

Behavioral Adaptations…

Behavioral Adaptations allow animals to respond to life needs.

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Each organism has unique methods of adapting to its

environment by means of different actions.

Behavioral Adaptations are behaviors that allow animals to

find food, protect itself from predators, and survive in its

environment.

Remember that Physical Adaptations are body structures.

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We can divide Behavioral Adaptations into two groups:

Instinctive Learned

These behaviors happen naturally &

don’t have to be learned.

These behaviors must be taught.

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Instinctive behaviors happen naturally &

don’t need to be learned

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Finding shelter

Methods of gathering & storing food Defending oneself

Raising young

Hibernating

Migrating

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Learned behaviors

Obtained by interacting with the

environment and cannot be passed on

to the next generation except by teaching.

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Types of Behavioral Adaptations• Migration• Hibernation• Living in Packs• Spinning Webs• Stalking Prey• Staying still• Fleeing predators• Shooting spray• Sounding scary• Looking scary

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

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What is hibernation?

• This is a very special kind of deep sleep

• It is brought on by short day lengths, cold temperatures and food shortages

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

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Why do animals hibernate?

• It is a survival strategy

• Dropping into a deep hibernation means animals are using less energy

• Food is scarce

• Animals miss the cold seasons

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What are the dangers of hibernation?

• The animal is defenceless, which means it maybe attacked by predators and eaten!

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How do animals prepare for hibernation?

• They try to put on as much fat as possible because they wont be eating much during the winter

• This is called brown fat, which is found across the back and shoulders, close to an animal’s organs

• Brown fat works hard to deliver quick energy to an animal coming out of hibernation

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Light Sleepers

• Some animals are not true hibernators• They are easily awakened during their winter

slumbers• These animals breathe a little more slowly and

lower their body temperature a few degrees• The wake up to forage between winter snows• Bears, skunks, raccoons

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What is Migration?

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What is migration?

Migration:• Seasonal back and forth journeys between two places.

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Which animals migrate?

• Mammals• Birds• Amphibians• Reptiles• Fish• Insects

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Why do animals migrate?

– Animals migrate to find food or weather advantageous to their survival.

– Animals migrate in a set pattern. – Some travel short distances (birds, bats, whales).– Some travel long distances (songbirds, shorebirds,

waterfowl, hawks, some bats and whales.– Some animals move up and down mountain slopes

because of snow depth and food conditions (deer, elk, Mountain Goats, Spotted Owls, some songbirds)

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Bird Migration

Over 5 billion land birds migrate between Europe and Asia to Africa

75% of 650 bird species that nest in N. America migrate

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Dangers of MigrationDangers of Migration

• Predation– Land and water

• Human destruction of migration points because of over population.