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Year 6 Science · Adaptations for survival

Name: ______________________

Date: ____________

1. Which of these is a structural adaptation?
- ☐ (a) A bird migrating to find food
- ☐ (b) A camel's wide, flat feet
- ☐ (c) A desert mouse staying in its burrow by day
- ☐ (d) A bear hibernating through the coldest months
2. Many desert animals rest in burrows during the day and come out at night. This is…
- ☐ (a) A structural adaptation
- ☐ (b) A food chain
- ☐ (c) A behavioural adaptation
- ☐ (d) A habitat
3. How does a tough, waxy coating help a leaf in a hot, dry place?
- ☐ (a) It slows down water loss
- ☐ (b) It makes the leaf grow faster
- ☐ (c) It helps the leaf soak up rain through its surface
- ☐ (d) It makes the leaf a brighter green
4. What is the main job of a cactus's thick, spongy stem?
- ☐ (a) To catch insects
- ☐ (b) To store water
- ☐ (c) To keep the cactus cool by sweating
- ☐ (d) To make seeds
5. A polar bear's thick fur and layer of fat mainly help it to…
- ☐ (a) Swim faster
- ☐ (b) Hide in the desert
- ☐ (c) Keep warm in a freezing environment
- ☐ (d) Climb trees
6. An adaptation that is a body feature, such as webbed feet or spines, is called a ________ adaptation.
7. What is it called when animals make a long journey, often at the same time each year, to find food or a place to breed?
8. Some desert lizards have tiny grooves in their skin. The grooves carry water from damp sand or dew to which part of the lizard's body?

Answer sheet

1. A camel's wide, flat feet — Wide, flat feet are a body feature, so they are structural. The others are things animals do, which are behavioural.
2. A behavioural adaptation — Choosing when and where to be active is something the animal does, so it is a behavioural adaptation.
3. It slows down water loss — The waxy layer acts like a raincoat in reverse: it keeps water inside the leaf from escaping.
4. To store water — The stem stores water so the cactus can survive long dry periods.
5. Keep warm in a freezing environment — Fur and fat trap heat and stop the bear's body heat escaping into the icy air and water.
6. structural — Body features are structural (sometimes called physical) adaptations.
7. migration — Migration is a behavioural adaptation.
8. mouth — Water travels along the grooves to the corners of the lizard's mouth so it can drink.