Key Concepts:

Adaptations in physical 

structure or behavior may 

improve an organism’s 

chance for survival. 

Objectives: 

Students will be able to: 

- explain what an 

adaptation is 

- describe four or more 

adaptations that plants 

and/or animals on the 

Refuge have 

Possible Locations:

- anywhere on Refuge 

Materials Provided by the 

Refuge: 

- photos of plants and 

animals used in the 

activity 

Wetlands Who’s Who 

Overview: In this activity, students will discover what an adaptation is. Then 

they will decide which adaptations belong to actual animals or plants, but here’s 

the trick – they’re all real! And they all can be found at the Refuge! 

Activity Adapted From: Can It Be Real?, Project Learning Tree 

Time Frame for Conducting this Activity (20 minutes) 

Adaptation Introduction (5 minutes) 

• what an adaptation is 

• examples of adaptations in birds 

• have them think of some adaptations 

Adaptation Activity (10 minutes) 

• explain activity 

• descriptions of adaptations 

Discussion (5 minutes) 

• all of the adaptations were real and can be found on the Refuge 

How this Activity Relates to the Refuge’s Resources 

What are the Refuge’s resources? 

• significant wildlife habitat 

• endangered species 

• migratory birds 

• resident wildlife 

What makes it necessary to manage the resources? 

• Wildlife may eat or become entangled in trash such as balloons, 

fishing line and Styrofoam peanuts. 

• Loss of wetland habitats for wildlife due to development, such as 

landfills, buildings, agriculture land, roads, etc makes it more 

difficult for wildlife to find food, water, shelter and space. 

What can students do to help? 

Refuge staff acquire and preserve wetland habitat, but we need your help! 

• be responsible for your own trash 

• reduce, reuse and recycle, decreasing the need for landfills 

• never dump anything down storm drains – pollution can 

contaminate and destroy wildlife habitat 

• adopt a wetland or an endangered species 

• only take your dog to place they are permitted and keep it on a 

leash 

• keep your cat inside your house; they catch birds 

• teach others what you have learned about habitats and endangered 

species 
Supporting Information About This Activity 

Adaptation 

- When an organism’s environment changes, the 

organism must either move, adapt or die out. 

The changing of an organism over time that 

makes it suited to its environment is called 

adaptation. 

- Structural adaptation is the result of the 

combined effects of variation and the selecting 

power of the environment. Here is an example 

of how it works. Suppose that plants in a 

population have differing capacities for 

producing cutin (a waxy, outer coating) on 

their leaves. Some individuals are heavily 

covered with this protective layer, and others 

are only thinly covered. If the climate 

becomes drier, as it did in the Sahara Desert, 

plants with thicker cutin will not dry as fast as 

those with thin cutin and may live to produce 

seeds. They have been “selected.” Succeeding 

generations will also show variability, and 

those with the best protection against drying 

will be the only ones to live and reproduce. In 

this instance, only one feature - cutin 

covering, has been pointed out, but in reality a 

plant would have to possess a whole range of 

features that work together. It is the species, 

not the individual that adapts structurally. 

- Individual animals can adapt by changing their 

behavior. 

- Some scientists estimate that we share this 

planet with 10 to 30 million different species 

of plants and animals, most of which are 

insects. Each of these species possesses an 

array of adaptations that enable it to live in its 

environment. While some of these adaptations 

may seem abnormal to us, they help to ensure 

the survival of the species.

How to Lead This Activity by Following the 

“Do, Read, Ask” Teaching Format 

Adaptation Introduction (5 minutes) 

Do 

Have students sit down in front of you. 

Ask 

? Today we’re going to discover some cool 

adaptations that wildlife and plants have. 

Can anyone tell me what an adaptation is? 

(If a species has an adaptation that means it 

changed physically or behaviorally to improve 

its conditions in its environment. Individuals 

can also adapt behaviorally, but not physically.) 

Read 

“Lots of things have adaptations; birds are great 

examples of adaptations. For example, they 

have feathers, allowing them to fly while being 

sturdy and flexible at the same time. Birds can 

spread and clean these feathers with their beaks, 

then pull them back together when they need to 

fly. 

“Another adaptation certain birds have is 

webbed feet. Ducks, geese and swans have 

webbed feet to help propel them through the 

water with little effort, it also helps them walk 

on the soft-wet ground in the wetlands.” 

Ask 

? Can anyone else think of other adaptations 

wildlife, plants or even people have?

(Lots of possibilities, but here are some 

examples in case you get a quite group: 

-Camouflage to blend into environment, which 

helps to either hide from predators or sneak up 

on prey. 

- Brightly colored feathering helps male birds 

attract a mate. 

-Some animals have scales to help protect 

themselves from their environment. 

-Cattails normally have their roots under water, 

so they have hallow stems so they can get 

oxygen from the top of the plant rather than the 

roots. 

-Humans have opposable thumbs!) 

Adaptation Activity (10 minutes) 

Read 

“Some adaptations are pretty hard to believe, so 

we’re going to take a look at some adaptations 
and you’re going to decide if you think the 

adaption belongs to a real animal or plant or if 

you think the adaptation is made up. 

“I’ll start by telling you about the adaptation, 

then move to the left side of the trail if you think 

it’s real or move to the right side of the trial if 

you think the adaptation is made up. 

“Any questions? 

“OK then, let’s get started! 

“This crustacean can move in any direction and 

overcome obstacles easily, if any of its legs are 

broken off they can regenerate. It can change 

color to match its habitat and it breathes through 

gills. 

“If you think these adaptations belong to a real 

animal move to the left side of the trail, if you 

think it’s made up move to the right side.” 

Do 

Compare the two groups. 

Hold up photo of the crayfish. 

Read 

“A real animal does have this adaptation and it’s 

called a crayfish. It has five pairs of jointed legs 

that allow it to move around easily. It also has 

swimmerets (small appendages) that are used 

for balance and swimming. If any of its legs, 

pincers or swimmerets break, new ones can 

regenerate. 

“OK, next adaptation; this bird uses its bill to 

scoop up water with tiny particles of food then 

pushes the water out of its bill while keeping the 

tiny particles of food inside. 

“If you think a real bird has this adaptation 

move to the left side of the trail, if you think it’s 

made up move to the right side.” 

Do 

Compare the two groups. 

Hold up photo of the northern shoveler. 

Read 

“A real bird does have this adaptation; a duck’s 

bill is designed like a flat strainer, which 

enables it to run water through it and collect a 

great deal of suspended material from ponds. 

Northern shovelers are a great example of this 

because of their broad bills; some people even 

call them “spoonies” because of their bill. 

“OK, now let’s talk about a possible insect 

adaptation. This insect is well suited for 

wetlands life because it can walk on water. 

“If you think a real insect has this adaptation 

move to the left side of the trail, if you think it’s 

made up move to the right side.” 

Do 

Compare the two groups. 

Hold up photo of the water strider 

Read 

“Those of you who thought that was a real 

adaptation were right! A water strider has 

specialized, paddle-like legs that enable it to 

skate over the surface of the water, riding on the 

surface tension between the water and air. Water 

striders can be found throughout North 

America. 

“Next up we have a mammal with dark-brown 

fur that loves the water. It has valves in its ears 

and nostrils to keep the water out. Its fur is 

waterproof and it has webbed feet. 

“If you think a real animal has these adaptations 

move to the left side of the trail, if you think it’s 

made up move to the right side.” 

Do 

Compare the two groups. 
**By this point some of the kids may be 

catching on that all of the adaptations are real, if 

so you can ask them to guess the animal or plant 

after you’ve described it. 

Hold up photo of the river otter. 

Read 

“You guessed it - this animal is real! The river 

otter is an incredibly playful creature that can 

have up to one million hairs per square inch on 

its back to help keep dry. Webbed feet help it 

swim fast. It can stay underwater for several 

minutes thanks to ear and nostril valves. 

“Plants also have adaptations. But is this one 

real or made up? This plant can suck up salty 

water through its roots, utilize the water and 

squeeze out the salt from its leaves. 

“If you think a real plant has this adaptation 

move to the left side of the trail, if you think it’s 

made up move to the right side.” 

Do 

Compare the two groups. 

Hold up photo of saltgrass. 

Read 

“Yep, it’s real! saltgrass can grow in alkali 

(salty) soils because it extracts the salt from the 

water, you can actually see and taste the salt 

crystals on the sharp-pointy leaves. 

“How about another bird adaptation; this bird is 

able to hear the location of its prey even in pitch 

black. Also, it flies silently, allowing it to swoop 

down on prey before the animal has any 

warning. 

“If you think a real bird has these adaptations 

move to the left side of the trail, if you think it’s 

made up move to the right side.” 

Do 

Compare the two groups. 

Hold up photo of the great-horned owl. 

Read 

“Those are real adaptations; great-horned owls 

have two ears, but one is an inch higher than the 

other; allowing them to hear the location of their 

prey on both a horizontal and vertical axis. Owls 

are able to fly silently because their flight 

feathers have soft, loose edges that muffle the 

sound made by the powerful wings. Another 

adaptation is that owls are able to rotate their 

head up to 270 degrees. 

“How about another possible insect adaptation; 

this insect takes a bubble of air with them 

underwater so they can swim for several 

minutes without coming up for air. 

“If you think a real insect has this adaptation 

move to the left side of the trail, if you think it’s 

made up move to the right side.” 

Do 

Compare the two groups. 

Hold up photo of the diving beetle. 

Read 

“The diving beetle requires a supply of air to 

stay underwater for minutes at a time. They take 

air underwater in a bubble that is attached to 

them. 

“OK, one more possible adaptation; when 

approached, this secretive bird will freeze and 

rely on its camouflage to conceal it from 

predators. It may even stretch its neck up, point 

its bill into the sky and sway from side to side, 

imitating waving reeds. 

“If you think a real bird has this adaptation 

move to the left side of the trail, if you think it’s 

made up move to the right side.” 

Do 

Compare the two groups. 
Hold up photo of the American bittern. 

Read 

“Yes, this is a real adaptation. The American 

bittern has adapted its camouflage so well that it 

rarely needs to flee from predators. It also uses 

its behavioral adaptation to elude predators.” 

Discussion (5 minutes) 

Read 

“Did you notice that all of the adaptations we 

talked about belonged to real plants and 

animals?” 

Ask 

?Have any of you seen these animals or 

plants? Where at? 

(Answers may vary.) 

Read 

“If you are good wildlife watchers you may 

actually see all of these plants and animals on 

this field trip - because all of these plants and 

animals can be found on the Refuge! 

“Any questions?” 

Do 

If you’re the last group to use this activity 

gather all the materials and bring them into the 

visitor center or to the Refuge staff member that 

was helping your group. Thank you!