An Encyclopedia of

3 Plants
and
3 Animals
pictures, habitat and adaptive features
What is Animal Adaptation?
Adaptations are any behavioral or physical
characteristics of an animal that help it to
survive in its environment. These
characteristics fall into three main categories:
body parts, body coverings, and behaviors.
Adaptation for surviving
extreme cold/polar regions
In the Arctic, polar bears have webbed
front paws that are shaped to propel
them through the water. The bottoms of
their feet are covered with hairy bumps
that grip the ice and keep them from
slipping, and a layer of blubber insulates
them from the cold.  The polar bear's
adaptations to life on the sea ice include a
white coat with water repellent guard
hairs and dense warm under fur. They also
keep their nose and ears small and fur
covered to protect them from the cold. 
Adaptation for surviving extreme
heat.
Animals in the desert have special
adaptations that help them conserve water
and survive a habitat with extreme
temperatures and lack of shelter. Camels
have humps where they can store fat,
allowing them to go without food and
water for periods of time. Camels also have
two rows of long, thick eyelashes to protect
their eyes from blowing sand, and their
nostrils can be closed as well. Their broad,
leathery hooves act like snowshoes to
prevent them from sinking in the sand
Social adaptations
Another important adaption is
known as camouflage. Many animals
have colors or patterns that help
them blend in with their habitat so
they can successfully find food or
hide from predators. Stripes and
spots can help both predator and
prey animals blend into their
environment. Animals with spotted
fur often live in forested areas. The
jaguar's spots help it blend in with
the small patches of sun that reach
the shady rainforest floor
What is Plant Adaptation?

Plant Adaptation is a unique feature a

plant has that allows it to live and
survive in its own particular habitat
the place that it lives.
Desert Plant Adaptations
As desert plants receive very little water and plenty of
sunlight, they usually have special features of storing and
conserving water.

• They have spines or thorns instead of leaves. This adaptation

characteristic minimizes (make less) the surface area and so
reduces water loss by transpiration.
• The leaf and stem size of a desert plant is comparatively small
because they need to distribute less water instead of
spreading it out over a wider surface area.
• Plants lie dormant for years until rain falls
• A shallow root system of the cactus allows it to absorb as
much water as possible when it rains.
• Spikes protect cacti from animals.
Aquatic Plant Adaptations 
There are different types of aquatic plants with different
adaptive characteristics. They are fully floating,
submerged or partially submerged.
• Underwater leaves and stems help plants to move along water
current.
• The stems of some plants have air space that helps keep the
plant in water.
• Underwater plants have leaves with large air pockets to absorb
oxygen from water.
• Some plants produce swimming seeds.
• Aquatic plants have floating leaves in which chlorophyll is
restricted only on the top surface which is green in color.
• Example of aquatic plants (underwater plants) are water lily, lotus
Tundra Adaptations
The tundra is a very cold place. It is an
environment that does not get much rain
but it is quite windy. Grounds of the
tundra environment mostly covered by
Ice and snow.
• Tundra plants are small in size and are
close together.
• Tundra plants have hairy stems and
small leaves.
• Tundra plants don’t need soil to grow.
• Examples of tundra adaptations plants
are Arctic Moss
 By
Emaan Shaikh
4-G