Animal Adaptations

• Though whales live in an aquatic habitat, they do not resemble fishes.
• Whales are marine mammals; like all mammals, they breathe through their lungs, unlike fishes that use gills.
• The blowhole allows the whale to breathe in air while it comes to the water's surface.

• Some animals cannot regulate their body temperature with the changes in climatic conditions and are termed cold-blooded, such as fishes, reptiles, and amphibians.
• They depend on external heat to maintain their body temperature. For the same reason, these animals are often seen basking in the sun.

• Polar bears are found in habitats where the land is covered with snow for a maximum of a year.
• Their white body covering allows them to blend with the surroundings of their habitat.
• Sloth bears are found in dense forests. White covering would not allow them to hide in the forest vegetation. Hence, they have a dark body covering.

The adaptive features of porcupines are as follows—

• Their body is covered with quills which they use to defend themselves when predators attack
• They have strong and sharp claws, which help them dig soil, tear tree bark, uproot plant roots, and pick berries.
• Porcupines have sharp front teeth, which help them crack open nuts and seeds.

• The ink gland is a sac-like structure found in some marine animals.
• They are located between the gills.
• This gland releases a dark pigmented ink-like substance when the animal faces danger.
• Animals that have ink glands other than octopus are squid and cuttlefish.

• The massive ears of elephants are an adaptation to hear the faintest sound from a distance. Also, they help in regulating body temperature.
• Their ears have thin blood vessels, which lose enormous body heat when required. So, we often see elephants e flapping their ears.
• They live in dense forests. Hence, their tusks enable them to bore riverbeds, rip the tree barks and clear their paths.

Deer show the following adaptations which enable them to live in forests—

• They have strong legs and girdles, which make them fast runners. It helps them protect themselves from being preyed on very often.
• Their eyes are on the sides of their head, which broaden their view of sight.
• Their ears are highly mobile and cup structured, which allows them to gather more sound waves.

• Pufferfish are also called blowfish. They are slow swimmers and can be easily targeted by predators.
• They are adapted to increase the size of their bodies significantly by drinking a large amount of water.
• They also release toxic chemicals for their protection from predators.