Animal Adaptations and Traits Teaching Resources
Get ready to teach about animal adaptations and animal traits this school year with printable worksheets, digital activities and more teacher-created resources for primary teachers!
This collection of Australian Science curriculum-aligned resources includes printables and Google Slides templates that have been thoroughly reviewed by our expert teaching team to ensure they're ready for your lesson plans and your students.
Save time on lesson planning with ready-made teacher slides, vocabulary guides and activities that can easily be differentiated to meet your students' individual needs.
New to tackling this topic in the classroom? The expert science teachers on the Teach Starter team have put together the answers to some of teachers' most common questions about animal adaptations and animal traits!
What Are Animal Adaptations? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Let's start with an easy way to explain what adaptation in animals is to your class! Here's a kid-friendly definition from our teacher team:
Adaptation is when animals change their bodies or behaviours to survive better in their environment. Humans may put on a jacket when it's cold outside — that's an example of how we adapt. Animals also have their own special ways of dealing with different environments.
How Do Animals Adapt to Their Environments?
Just as there are countless kinds of animals living around the world, there are many ways that different animals will adapt to their environment. There are two major types of adaptations:
Behavioural Adaptations
One way that an animal can adapt is through a process called behavioural adaptation. This kind of change doesn't require a change in the animal's DNA or its physical features.
Instead, this involves changes in an animal's actions or habits that help them survive in their environment, such as a bear hibernating during the winter.
Structural Adaptations
Another way that animals adapt is through changes to physical features or body parts. These are called structural adaptations, typically occurring over time via evolution, the process of gradual change in species over many generations.
A polar bear's white fur is a good example of a structural adaptation for this tundra animal. The color of the fur helps polar bears blend in with the snowy environment of the Arctic, providing camouflage and making it easier for them to hunt and sneak up on prey.
Animal Adaptation Examples
Looking for more animal adaptation examples that kids love to share with your students? Give these a try!
Desert Animal Adaptations
- Camels have humps that store fat, which they can use as food and water when there's not much available.
- Desert snakes have scales that help them move smoothly on the sand.
- Beetles that live in the desert have a hard outer covering that prevents them from losing water.
Tundra Animal Adaptations
- In addition to the color of their fur, polar bears have thick fur and a layer of blubber (fat) that keep them warm in the freezing cold.
- Arctic foxes can change the color of their fur from brown in the summer to white in the winter to blend in with the snow.
- Caribou have wide hooves that help them walk on the soft tundra and dig through the snow for food.
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Movement of Animals Sorting Activity
Classify animals based on their movement methods with a picture-sorting game.
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Animals that Hibernate & Migrate Picture Posters
Explore animal hibernation and migration and learn about the animals that use these behavioural adaptations with a printable animal poster pack.
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Arctic Animals Colouring Page Booklet
Engage your little learners and build vocabulary skills with a printable winter animals colouring book.
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Animal Adaptations Crossword Puzzle
Use an Animal Adaptations Crossword puzzle to review physiological, structural, and behavioural adaptation concepts.
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How Seasons Affect Plants and Animals Poster Set
Display these informative posters in your Grade One classroom to remind students of the five ways animals and plants adapt to seasonal changes in their environment.
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How Living Things Survive – Teaching Presentation
Use this 13-slide teaching presentation to teach your students about the basic needs and physical characteristics of animals and plants.
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Plant and Animal Adaptations - Structural Adaptation Posters
Highlight the physical adaptations of different animals with a set of printable anchor charts.
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Echolocation Activity Sheets
Explore the benefits of sound on animal survival with a set of printable Echolocation Activity Sheets.
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Animals Surviving With Sound Research Project
Assign an Animal Sound Research Project to encourage your students to explore how animals use sound to survive in the wild.
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Species Survival Prediction Task Cards
Explore how to save endangered species with this set of 16 species survival scenario cards.
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A House for Hermit Crab Activity Pack
Explore how habitats and adaptations help meet the needs of animals with an engaging 'House for Hermit Crab' Activity Pack.
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Which Doesn’t Belong? Vertebrate or Invertebrate Game
Identify examples of vertebrates and invertebrates with an engaging Which Animal Doesn’t Belong? Vertebrate or Invertebrate Game.
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Interactive Animal Movement Game
Explore animals and how they move with an interactive Animal Movement Game.
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Vertebrate vs. Invertebrates PowerPoint (F-2)
Explore animals with and without backbones with a Vertebrates vs. Invertebrates PowerPoint for early learners.
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Animal Classification Chart Worksheet
Help your little learners identify members of mammals, birds, fish, and more animal classes using a handy animal characteristics worksheet.
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Monster Mashup - Inherited Traits Activity
Introduce your students to inherited traits and learned behaviours through an exciting Monster Mashup Inherited Traits Activity!
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Torpor vs Hibernation - Reading Worksheets
Help your students learn the difference between torpor and hibernation with a printable pack of reading comprehension worksheets.
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Bird Beak Lab Activity
Discover how birds’ beaks help them find food and survive in the wild with a hands-on Bird Beak Adaptation Lab.
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Animal Classification Word Search Pack - Early Years
Introduce your lower-year students to the six animal types/classes with a pack of printable animal word search worksheets.
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Sloth Adaptations – Comprehension Skills Worksheet
Read and comprehend nonfiction text about the adaptations of a sloth with a printable pack of reading skills worksheets.
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Features of Animals Write the Room Activity Pack (F-1)
Help your young students read and write about features of animals with a printable Animals and Characteristics Write the Room activity.
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Animal Cell Diagram
Highlight the different parts of an animal cell with a labelled animal cell model poster.
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What Are Behavioural Adaptations? Digital Interactive Notebook
Discover behavioural adaptations of animals with an independent research-based Behavioural Adaptation Digital Learning Activity.
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Informational Penguin Booklet (F-1)
Chill out with a good book and build decoding and comprehension skills with a printable informational penguin booklet for Year 1.
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Rainforest Animal Printables — Adaptation Trading Cards
Discover rainforest animal adaptations and display your learning with miniature rainforest animal report templates.
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Arctic Animal Adaptations- Blubber Experiment
Explore the structural adaptation of blubber with an Arctic Animal Adaptation experiment.
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Identifying the Parts of a Butterfly Worksheet Pack
Learn about the anatomy of a butterfly with a printable reading passage and butterfly labelling worksheets.
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Australian Animals — Adaptations Worksheets
Research and write about amazing animal adaptations with our Australian Animals Adaptation Worksheets.
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Adapting, Migrating, & Hibernating Animals Research Project
Research and report on animals that hibernate, migrate, and adapt with an animal adaptations project.
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Animal Needs and Adaptations Mini-Book
Read and learn about animal adaptations and basic needs with this 14-page mini-book.
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Facts About Insects Anchor Chart
Display this Facts About Insects poster showcasing interesting insect facts and characteristics in your classroom.
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Animals With Scales, Fur, Shells and Feathers Worksheet Pack
Investigate different animal body coverings by sorting and colouring animals with feathers, fur, scales and shells.
- Animal Adaptations and Traits Worksheets
- Animal Adaptations and Traits Teaching Presentations
- Animal Adaptations and Traits Games
- Animal Adaptations and Traits Posters
- Animal Adaptations and Traits for Foundation Year
- Animal Adaptations and Traits for Year 1
- Animal Adaptations and Traits for Year 2
- Animal Adaptations and Traits for Year 3
- Animal Adaptations and Traits for Year 4
- Animal Adaptations and Traits for Year 5
- Animal Adaptations and Traits for Year 6