Page 26 - Science Coursebook

2.2 Animal adaptations

Arabian oryx in the desert
A desert is a place that gets very little rainfall each year. Some
deserts are cold, and others are hot.
Deserts in Arabia are hot deserts. The Arabian oryx is adapted
to live there. They are adapted to survive with very little
water. Arabian oryx will drink if they can, and herds travel
long distances to follow any rainfall. However, they can go for
months without drinking, getting all the water that they need
from the plants that they eat.
Oryx feed mostly at night, when it is cooler, so they do not
lose too much water from their bodies by evaporation. During
the day, they usually rest in the shade. They make a small
depression (dent) in the sand to lie in, so that their body heat
is conducted into the cooler ground. They have hooves with a
large area, which helps to stop them from sinking into soft sand. An Arabian oryx in Sir Bani Yas

(You can find out how this works, in terms of pressure, on page Island Wildlife Reserve, Abu Dhabi.

126.) Their light coloured coats reflect much of the radiation
from the Sun, helping to keep them cool.
flippers
Sealions in the sea

Sealions are mammals that are adapted to hunt their prey in sea
water, but they also spend time on land.

Sealions have smooth, streamlined bodies that help them to
move easily through water by reducing friction. Their front and
hind legs have become flippers, which have a large surface area

to push against the water to propel them forward. They can

turn their hind flippers to face forwards, which helps them to

push off the ground and shuffle around when they are on land.

Australian sealions.
When a sealion dives, its nostrils close to stop water getting into
its lungs. Sealions can hold their breath for over an hour. They
are carnivores, and have sharp teeth to help them to capture
and kill their prey.

Earthworms in the soil
Earthworms belong to the group of invertebrates called
annelids. They spend most of their time underground, in
burrows that they make by eating soil.
Earthworms have long, slim, smooth bodies that slide easily
through their burrows. They have tiny bristles on their
undersides, called chaetae, which can grip the sides of the The little bristles on an earthworm’s
burrow. This is particularly useful if a predator tries to pull body help it to hold on tight to the
them out. sides of its burrow.

24 2 Living things in their environment