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- Create Your Own Wetland Animal
A habitat is where animals live. Habitats provide food, water, and shelter that animals needto survive. Animals also depend on their physical features to help them find food, be safe, make their homes, withstand weather, and find mates. These features are called physical adaptations. Some examples of physical adaptations are: color of the fur, shape of nose or ears, horns or antlers that can be used to fight off predators, and chemicals or oils produced by the body that can ward off predators or provide an advantage like waterproofing the animal’s fur.
Many animals also developbehaviors that defend them from being eaten by predators. These are called behavioral adaptations. Some examples of behavioral adaptations are: animals that never venture too far from their home so they can quickly hide, animals that use their keen sense of sight, hearing, or smell to detect danger, and animals that are only active at night to avoid predators.
Animals that live in wetlands must have special physical and behavioral adaptions to survive because their habitatis a mixture of land and waterwith many different types of predators. Some examples of the adaptations of wetland animals are:
Other common adaptations seen in wetlands animals arewebbed feet, a second clear eyelid that can act like goggles when swimming underwater, and camouflage coloring of fur or skin.
Create your own wetland animal using the “Create a Wetlands Animal” activity page or a piece of paper. Give your animal at least five adaptation that allow it to survive and thrive in Louisiana’s wetlands. Name your animal and describe the adaptations in the area provided on the activity page.