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Primary Science · Year 6Chapter 6 · Offspring, adaptation and evolution
Year 6 Science · Offspring, adaptation and evolution · Lesson 6.3

Year 6 Science: Adaptations of animals

Part of the Year 6 Science offspring, adaptation and evolution chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

6.3

Adaptations of animals

Year 6
EV3: identify how animals are adapted to suit their environment in different ways
Story. Aisha reads about a camel in a hot desert. “Why has it got a hump?” she asks. Her teacher says, “The hump stores fat, which the camel can use when there is little food. Many animals have features that suit where they live. We call these features adaptations.”

An adaptation is a feature of a living thing that helps it to survive in its environment. The environment is the place where it lives, and all the conditions around it.

Animals are adapted in many different ways. A polar bear has thick fur and a white coat, which keep it warm and help it hide in the snow. An owl has large eyes, which help it to see in low light. A duck has webbed feet, which push water backwards so it can swim.

camel: hump stores fatpolar bear: white furowl: large eyesduck: webbed feeteach feature helps the animal to survive where it lives
Four animals drawn with simple shapes: a camel with a hump, a polar bear with white fur, an owl with large eyes, and a duck with webbed feet. Not to scale.

The table shows each adaptation and how it helps.

Living thingAdaptationHow it helps
Camela hump that stores fat, and wide feet on sandsurvives long periods in deserts with little food
Polar bearthick fur and a white coatkeeps warm, and hides in the snow
Owllarge eyes and soft, fringed featherssees in low light and flies silently to catch prey
Duckwebbed feetpushes water backwards to swim well
Cactusthick stems and spines instead of leavesstores water, and loses little water through its surface

Key ideas

  • An adaptation is a feature that helps a living thing survive in its environment.
  • A camel's hump stores fat, which it can use when food is scarce.
  • A polar bear's white fur helps it hide in snow and keeps it warm.
  • Webbed feet help a duck to swim.
Worked example 6.3.1
Look at the table in section 6.3. What adaptation does a camel have? Write the words.

Method. Find the camel row.

  1. Read the row. The camel has a hump that stores fat.
    hump
  2. Write the words. So the adaptation is a hump that stores fat.
    a hump that stores fat
  3. Write the answer.
    a hump that stores fat

Check. The hump is a store of energy. ✓

Worked example 6.3.2
How does an owl's large eye help it? Write the words.

Method. Read the owl row.

  1. Read the row. Large eyes help the owl see in low light.
    low light
  2. Write the words. So large eyes help it to see in low light.
    see in low light
  3. Write the answer.
    see in low light

Check. The owl hunts at night. ✓

Worked example 6.3.3
Which animal has webbed feet? Write the name.

Method. Find the webbed feet in the table.

  1. Read the table. The duck has webbed feet.
    duck
  2. Write the name. So the animal is a duck.
    duck
  3. Write the answer.
    duck

Check. Webbed feet push the water back. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: an adaptation is a feature that suits the environment. An animal does not choose an adaptation, and the feature is not made by wanting it.

Exam tip

Exam tip. When you describe an adaptation, name the feature, then say how it helps the animal survive in its environment.

Try it (with your teacher, or a grown-up at home). Look at pictures of animals with a grown-up, and choose one adaptation that you think helps it. Explain how it helps the animal in its habitat. Do not touch wild animals.

Exercise 6C  Adaptations of animals

1
FWhich animal in the table has a hump that stores fat? Write the name.
2
FWhich animal has white fur that helps it hide in the snow? Write the name.
3
FWhich animal has large eyes to see in low light? Write the name.
4
FWhat adaptation helps a duck to swim? Write the words.
5
FWhat is the name for a feature of a living thing that helps it survive in its environment? Write the word.
6
FWhat is the name for the place where a living thing lives, and all the conditions around it? Write the word.
7
FWhich adaptation helps a camel to survive when there is little food? Write the words.
8
PSIs a polar bear's white fur an adaptation that helps it hide? Write yes or no.
9
PSName the animal from the table that has the adaptation of webbed feet, and say what the feet help it to do. Write the name.
10
PSAli says the camel grew a hump because it wanted to store fat. Is Ali right? Write yes or no.
11
PSChoose one animal from the table and explain how its adaptation helps it to survive. Write one sentence.
12
RExplain why an owl needs silent flight. Write one sentence.
13
RExplain why a polar bear's thick fur is useful in a cold place. Write one sentence.
14
RChallenge: explain why an animal in a desert might have a feature that stores water or fat. Write one sentence.

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