Get Wild: Yellowstone Survivor

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Check out some of the amazing adaptations animals have for surviving in Yellowstone National Park. An adaptation is a change or a process of change by which an organism becomes better suited to its environment.

How do you compare? Try out various moves to see how you rate next to some of these wild animals.

 

A snowshoe hare can leap 10 feet (3 m) in a single bound.

►Try it out!
How far can you long jump in one leap?

 

A wolverine can easily walk 15 miles (24 km) each day in search of food.

►Try it out!
How far can you walk in a day?

 

A mountain lion can jump 15 feet (4.5 m) straight up into a tree.

►Try it out!
How far can you jump vertically?

 

An owl has the ability to stare for hours.

►Try it out!
How long can you stare without blinking?

 

A Uinta ground squirrel hibernates about 9 months out of each year.

►Try it out!
How long can you sleep before waking up hungry?

 

A beaver can hold its breath under water for up to 15 minutes.

►Try it out!
How long can you hold your breath?

 

Structural or Behavioral Adaptation?

Adaptations can be structural or behavioral.

• Structural adaptations are those in which the animal's physical body has evolved to make it easier for the animal to survive, like a wolf having oversized paws so it can move over the top of snow.
• Behavioral adaptations are those in which the animals changes its actions in response to changes in the environment, like a bear hibernating during winter when food supplies are low.

Observe the animal and decide if their adaptation is structural or behavioral?

 

Bison head and neck

Bison use their large heads to push up to 3 feet (0.9 m) of snow out of their way to reah food. The hump on their back provides a place for their powerful neck muscles to attach, allowing for this winter adaptation.







 

  Structural or Behavioral?

Structural!

 

Changing fur color

White-tailed jackrabbits rely on camouflage—blending into their surroundings—to hide from predators. They are able to change their fur to white in winter, allowing them to blend into the snow.






 

 

  Structural or behavioral?

Structural!

 

Change of scenery

When winter snows come, elk migrate to lower elevations—often outside of the park—to avoid having to survive the harsh winter found in much of the park.








 

  Structural or behavioral?

Behavioral!

 

Long legs

Moose have unusually long legs. This allows them to walk through the preferred habitat of wetlands easier. In addition, they have special joints that allow them to swing those long legs over snow.







 

  Structural or behavioral?

Structural!

 

Challenge!

Draw a picture of an animal adapted to one of Yellowstone's ecosystems:

• Sagebrush-steppe prairie
• Forest
• Westland
• Cold-water lake
• Hot spring
• Alpine tundra