Animals and Surroundings

In my mind, the Earth is the most amazing planet because there are billions of people and countless animals living on it. We humans love animals, but have you ever wondered why camels live in the desert, while giraffes live in the grasslands; why polar bears live in the Arctic, while fish live in the ocean? If you look closer, you will find out that Animals live in many different habitats, and they have no choice but to adapt to their habitat to survive!

The ocean is a vast body of water with many living organisms in it. All kinds of marine animals are adapted to the surroundings to breed or survive. Fish live in the ocean, and they adapt by growing special bladders that help them stay afloat in the water. They also have gills, so when they suck in oxygen, the water goes out. Another example of an adaptive sea animal is the Sea Urchin. The sea urchin has long spikes on its body, preventing animals from eating it. Sea urchins also have tube feet that help them stick to rocks and catch food. Stingrays usually slide smoothly in the water where there is sand to hide themselves. They adapted to the surroundings by having their eyes on top of their bodies, so they can see what is happening even when they are in the sand.

Leaving the blue ocean behind, let us look at those desert animals. To most of us, deserts are ​very​ hot and dry. It may look like no animals live there. However, there are so many reptiles, birds, and mammals in the deserts. Camels are a great example when it comes to the adaptation to the deserts. Camels have flat, large feet, so they can walk in the sand. Their slit-like nostrils and two rows of long eyelashes help to keep out sand. They store fat in their humps in case they can’t find anything for a while. They also developed the ability to go for a long time without water. Another adaptation used by desert animals is to become nocturnal. They hunt at night when the desert is cool. Two examples are scorpions and desert foxes.

On the contrary of hot, dry desert, the polar habitat is extremely frigid and cold. You may wonder how any animal could live in this extreme weather. Then a big, fat polar bear lumbers by with her cute, fluffy cubs. Or thousands of penguins are happily waddling through the snow like a marching band. For polar bears, their adaptations to survive in the Arctica are interesting. Their white appearance makes them camouflage into the snow. They have very thick layers of fat and fur to keep them warm in the extremely cold condition. Also, they have large feet to help them grip on the ice. Penguins have heavy, solid bones that act like a diver’s belt, allowing them to stay underwater. Their wings are paddle-like flippers, so they are all good swimmers.

Tropical rainforests are an important ecosystem with so many animal adaptations in there, which is fascinating to us. Camouflage is one of the most amazing crafts they have. Sloths developed skills to move in slow motion, and their fur is covered by green algae which made their predators very hard to get them. Also, because they are the world’s slowest moving animals, they don’t really need that much resources to survive. Nocturnal animals can be another example here. The competition level is very high in the rainforests during daytime, so many animals adapted to become active in the nighttime. Animals such as flying fox bats, leopard cats or flying frogs have developed sharper vision, stronger smell, better hearing to hunt for food.

Animals live in so many different places with different surroundings. They live in the ocean, desert, polar regions, rainforest and more. Surroundings and natural habitats may be able to meet animals’ basic needs, such as food, water, and shelter. Because of the climate conditions in the ecosystem, competitions with other animals, and predators, all animals have developed many ways to adapt to their surroundings in order to survive.