Yesterday and today, we saw four different amazing animals. They were a hedgehog, a ball python, a great horned owl, and a kinkajou.
First, we learned that animals have physical and behavioral adaptations. A physical adaptation is a body part that is on an animals body that helps it survive in the wild. A behavioral adaptation is something that an animal does to survive or find food.
The Hedgehog
The hedgehog has physical and behavioral adaptions. The physical adaptations are its quills. Quills are made of cuticle like our finger nails, and it grows back. The behavioral adaptation is that it can roll into a ball for protection. If a predator comes along it will bite the hedgehog and get quills stuck in its face. The predator’s paws will get stuck in its face if it keeps trying to get them out.
photo by: Mrs. Yollis
The Ball Python
There is another animal called the ball python. It is a constricting snake. It can bite people and squeeze them to death. They also ,like all snakes do, shed their skin. When they shed their skin it comes off and new skin is revealed. The ball python is not a poisonous snake, but most people think that they are.
photo by: Mrs. Yollis
The Kinkajou
The Kinkajou has physical and behavioral adaptations too. The physical adaptations are thick fur and a long, prehensile tail. Prehensile means it can grip like a hand. The behavioral adaptations are it can cling onto trees and anything else. Kinkajous are sometimes called honey bears because they raid bees’ nests. They use their long, skinny tongues to slurp honey from a hive, and also to remove insects like termites from their nests.
photo by: Mrs. Yollis
The Great Horned Owl
Finally, we have the great horned owl. The great horned owl is an owl that lives in our habitat. The owl has feathers on the top of its head. When it lifts its head all the way, its feathers go up. Some people think that owls can turn their head all the way around, but they can’t! They can only swivel it two-thirds of the way around.