Weather, Climate and Adaptations of Animals to Climate

Science Class Seven

Tropical Rain Forest

Regions near the equator are known as the tropical regions consequently forests found in these areas are called Tropical Rain Forest. Tropical regions receive most sunshine throughout the year, so these regions get plenty of rainfall. Because of heavy rainfall forest is dense in this region. The heavy rainfall and high temperature make the climate of the rainforest hot and humid.

Tropical rainforests are found in the Western Ghats and Assam in India, Southeast Asia, Central America, and Central Africa.

Large variety of vegetation and plenty of water make availability of food in the tropical rain forests. A large number of animals live in the rainforest because of the availability of plenty of food and water. Examples are Elephant, Tiger, Lion, Deer, Monkey, Bird, Snake, Frog Lizard, etc.

Because of the huge population of many types of animals found in the tropical rainforest, there is a lot of competition for food. Most of the animals that live in the region of rain forest are adapted to that kind of food that other animals either do not like or do not have reach to those foods. They also need to have some adaptations using which they can hide themselves from prey and predators.

Adaptive features of Tigers Found in Rain Forest

Tigers found in the regions of the rainforest have an orange colour with black stripes. The orange and black colour combination camouflage the background of the forest. Because of this colour combination, tigers can reach their prey without coming notice. The paws of tigers have thick pads that help them to walk without making any noise and enable them to reach near prey without coming into notice. Tigers have strong feet and long tails. Strong feet make them a good chaser and a long tail helps them to keep balance. Their long teeth make them superb carnivores.

Adaptive features of Monkeys

Monkeys are adapted to live on trees. Monkeys have strong hands and good and strong paws. Monkeys have a long tails. Strong hands and good paws give the monkeys a good grip over the branches of trees. Long-tail helps monkeys to keep the right direction in the course of jumping from one tree to another tree, without losing balance. Monkeys can easily hang from the branches of trees with the help of their long tail. These adaptive features make monkeys enable to climb to the topmost branches of the tree, so they have good access to the fruits of trees, which other animals do not have. Since monkeys get sufficient food from trees, hence they rarely need to come on the ground. These adaptive features make them a true habit of the rainforest.

Adaptive features of Chameleon

Chameleon is the best-known example of camouflage. Chameleons can change their body colour similar to different types of backgrounds. The capacity of chameleons to change their body colour similar to the background helps them keep hiding from a predator. With the help of this feature, they can catch their prey easily without coming into notice. They have a flexible and sticky tongue. They can stretch their tongue up to a good length. This facilitates chameleons to catch their prey from long distances.

Chameleon has pad-like paws with thin and curved nails. With the help of pad-like paws and thin curved nails, they get a very good grip over the branches of trees.

Adaptive features of Frog

Frogs are amphibians. Animals that can live in water as well as on land with equal ease are called AMPHIBIANS. Frogs can live both in water and on land as well. This adaptive feature makes them unique creature. Life started in water on our planet. Frogs are the first animals that migrated from water to land and other animals are supposed to have descended from frogs.

Frog can breathe through its lungs and with its skin. In water, frogs breathe using skin while on land they breathe using their lungs.

Frogs are very good swimmers. Frogs have webbed feet that help them to swim in water with ease. Frogs use their feet to jump on land.

Frogs can stretch their tongue to a good length. Frogs have a sticky tongues. This helps frogs to catch their prey by stretching their tongue from a distance.

Frog goes into hibernation in the hot and dry season. Frogs bury themselves under the ground and go for a long sleep. This process is called hibernation.

Frogs can be seen rarely during summer due to hibernation. But as the rainy season comes, the rhythmic voice of frogs can be heard near ponds or water logging areas.

These adaptive features enable frogs to live in the rainforest.

Adaptive features of Elephant

Elephants are superbly adapted to live in the rainforest. Elephants are very big in size. Their big size protects them from predators.

Elephants feed on plants. Elephant are herbivores. Elephants have a strong trunks. Elephants use their trunk for many purposes. With the help of its trunk, elephants can tear off barks of branches, can put food in their mouths, can take water, and can sprinkle dust and water on its body.

Elephants have to eat more for survival in order to maintain their huge size. To eat a lot, elephant have different type of teeth compare to other mammals. Elephants have cycles of tooth rotation throughout their lives. Elephants chewing teeth are replaced five to six times in their lifetime. In humans milk teeth are replaced by growing new teeth vertically only once in a lifetime. But in elephants new teeth grow at the back of the mouth. New teeth push older teeth towards the front which fall off in due course. Elephants have two big teeth also. These big teeth are projected outside of the mouth of elephants. Elephants use these big teeth to dig or tear barks of branches for food.

This adaptive feature of having a special set of teeth make elephant fit to eat more and more to keep their survival.

Elephants have pillar-like larger feet. These feet are able to carry their huge body load.

Elephants have two big ears. These big ears are used to regulate heat. Elephants flap their ears constantly. This flipping creates a slight breeze over the body which cools the surface blood vessels and the body. The hot blood entering the ear vessels is cooled up to 6oC before returning to the body. This mechanism keeps the elephant cool in a hot climate.

These adaptive features show that the elephant is one of the fittest animals for survival in the rainforest.

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