animal adaptations at-home activity kit

Animal Adaptations At-Home Activity Kit

Summer Library Program

We are thrilled you are participating in Licking County Library’s Tails & Tales Summer Library Program! Our goal with this kit is to introduce your family to how animals’ body parts, body coverings and behaviors help them thrive in

their environment. Each activity includes a list of provided materials and a few things you will

need from home.

Our activities and experiments are simple to follow. We have also put together easy-to-follow tutorials on the Library’s YouTube Channel so you

can follow along with Library staff.Continue exploring with our suggested book list to keep learning and reading all summer long!

Ready? Set! Explore!


Animals’ Feet

Across the animal kingdom, feet come in an astonishing variety of shapes and sizes. Different types of feet are specialized to do different kinds of things. How are animal feet different from your feet? Why do you think animals have different numbers of toes? Why do feet have hooves or nails or claws? Let’s do some experimenting and find out!

Instructions:1. Create an obstacle course with easy-to-find objects. For example, jump over “logs” made of pillows or maneuver around “trees” made of chairs.

2. As you go through the course with different types of feet, observe how it affects your balance, speed and coordination. 3. Go through the obstacle course with no modifications to your feet. 4. Did you know a horse walks on one toe? Tape a balloon under each heel so you are walking on your toes. Now try to go through your obstacle course. 5. Cattle, pigs, sheep and goats have two toes. What will happen if you tape your toes together? Tape your toes together in two groups and then put a balloon under each heel. Try the obstacle course now. 6. Chickens and other birds have splayed toes which means their toes are spaced apart more than ours. Place toe spacers turned upside down between each toe on your feet. How does that affect your walking? 7. Ducks have webbed feet like flippers. What will happen if you tape a piece of cardboard larger than your shoe to the bottom of your foot?

How Does it work?Animal feet have adapted over time to make it easier to navigate their native habitats. How did it feel going through the obstacle course after making the changes to your feet? Do you think you could predict where an animal lives by looking at its feet? Do you think any feet are better than others for speed, stability or quick turning? Why do you think certain animals have certain feet? Are there animals that live in the same habitat that have totally different feet? Why or why not?

Library Provided Materials:• Balloons• Cardboard• Toe spacers

Materials Needed From Home:• Masking tape• Obstacle course (create your own!)


Birds’ Feathers

Library Provided Materials:• 2 sheets of paper with a penguin on it• Crayon

Materials Needed From Home:• Water

Have you ever wondered how birds stay dry in a rainstorm? Or how ducks never seem to get waterlogged when they are sitting in a pond? How do a bird’s feathers stay dry when they swim? Let’s check it out.

Instructions:1. Color one penguin with the provided crayon. Make sure to cover the entire bird image with a thick layer of crayon.

2. Leave one penguin untouched. 3. Sprinkle water on both of them and see which paper has less water damage.

How Does it work?Most birds—but especially waterfowl like ducks, geese and swans—have a special gland called a uropygial gland, or the preen gland. This gland is located at the base of its tail. When birds preen, or groom, themselves they spread oil over their feathers. This oil is similar to wax, like a crayon! By spreading wax on paper, you are creating a barrier so that water has a harder time getting through because neither wax nor oil can be dissolved in water. That’s how birds stay “water-proof ” even when they sit or swim in water.


how Arctic animals stay warm

Have you ever seen a polar bear wearing a coat? Or a whale with a winter jacket? How about a penguin with a scarf? Animals don’t need to wear clothes to keep themselves warm like humans do. They produce and retain a lot of heat within their own body. In this experiment, we are going to see what works best to keep arctic mammals from being icicles.

Instructions:1. Fill one sandwich bag with a layer of Crisco® and close the bag. Make sure the Crisco® is at room temperature before you perform the test.

2. Place a layer of ice cubes on three plates. 3. Place each bag (feathers and Crisco®) on top of their own plate of ice cubes, leaving one plate of just ice cubes. 4. Let one hand rest on the layer of ice cubes with no bag and rest your other hand on the bag of feathers—don’t press too hard. Which one feels colder? 5. Take your hands off the ice and wait a moment until both your hands feel warm. Now, place one hand on the layer of ice and the other hand on the bag filled with Crisco®. Which one feels colder now, the ice or the bag with a layer of fat? 6. Remove your hands and wait a moment until both hands feel warm again. Now let’s compare the bag of feathers and the bag of Crisco®. Which one feels colder? 7. What about if you add more or less Crisco®? How does that affect your hand?

How Does it work?Both feathers and fat are good insulators. Insulation works by trapping air close to your body and limiting the amount of heat that can escape. Down feathers (the fluffy feathers that birds have) are great insulators because they trap a lot of air. Birds survive in sub-zero temperatures by fluffing their feathers, creating layers of air and feathers. So, it’s not entirely correct to say that down is “warm.” Rather, the bird is warm and down simply prevents its body heat from escaping. Just a fraction of an inch of this insulation can keep a bird’s body temperature at 104°F, even in freezing weather!1

Library Provided Materials:• Sandwich bags• Feathers• Crisco®

Materials Needed From Home:• Ice cubes• 3 plates

How Does it work? Mammals that have adapted to live in cold waters—such as polar bears and whales—can stay warm largely because of their thick layer of fat, called blubber. This insulation is necessary for their survival. Mammals are warm-blooded, meaning their body temperature stays about the same no matter what the temperature outside is. Keeping a consistent body temperature in cold water requires more energy than keeping a warm body temperature in warm water. Some marine mammals, such as sea otters, have a thick fur coat, as well as blubber, to insulate them.2

1. www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/how-feathers-insulate 2. www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-animals-stay-warm-with-blubber/

Humans have developed some insulating materials for our own daily use based on animal adaptations we observe. For example, Styrofoam™ is a material that does not conduct heat relatively well, whereas metals conduct heat very well. This is why hot drinks are often served in Styrofoam™, since it keeps the heat inside the cup, preventing your hands from being burned. For the same reason, it can also keep cold drinks cool longer than, for example, a paper cup. What other materials can you think of that work as insulators?


Birds’ Beaks

Did you know there are roughly 10,000 bird species in the world? These remarkable creatures share a number of characteristics, but why do they look so wildly different? In this experiment, we will discover why bird beaks come in a wonderful assortment of shapes and sizes, each perfectly suited for that particular bird’s favorite foods and typical feeding behaviors. We are going to experiment and see which beak shape is best for eating fish, bugs and nectar.

Instructions:1. Push the beans into the Play-doh to simulate bugs that live in trees, like termites.

2. Pour an inch of water into a cup to simulate nectar in flowers. 3. Next, pour milk into the box of dry cereal to simulate fish in a body of water. (Once you’re done with the experiment you can eat it!) 4. Imagine a bird’s beak is shaped like a slotted spoon, tweezers or pipette and try removing the beans, water or cereal. Which one works best for each of the different foods? Is the pipette good for the “bugs” (the beans in the Play-doh)? Does the slotted spoon work for the “nectar” (water)? Why or why not?

How Does it work?Hummingbirds eat nectar, the sweet substance that flowers secrete in order to attract birds and insects to help pollinate the flower. Nectar, however, is located at the base of the flower so birds need a long thin beak to reach their food. The pipette is a similar shape.

Pelicans use their pouch like a fishing net to scoop the fish into their beak. They then tip their head forward to drain out the water and throwback their head and swallow the food whole. Should the scoop-and-gulp method fail, pelicans have a backup plan: a little hook at the end of the beak can snag fish.3 The holes on the spoon also let the liquid drain out, leaving only the food behind. Thin, slender, pointed beaks are found mainly in insect eaters. They are used to pick insects off leaves, twigs and bark. The shape of these beaks helps the bird fit into small areas and snag insects out of their hiding places. The tweezers also help you get into smaller spaces and pick up the beans.

There are lots of other types of birds that have unique beak shapes. Some birds eat seeds, some eat meat and some eat fruits and nuts. How would those shapes have to be different to help them with their diet? Take a look and see what you might have around the house that you can use to try to mimic a bird beak!

Library Provided Materials:• Tweezers• Pipette• Box of dry cereal

Materials Needed From Home:• Milk• Cup of water • Slotted spoon

• Beans• Play-doh

3. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/pelican


Build your own animal

Library Provided Materials:• Animal print-outs

Materials Needed From Home:• Scissors

We looked at some pretty cool animal adaptations this summer, now is your chance to make your own animal! Give it different body parts and tell us why your new animal needs that.

Instructions:1. Cut out the animal parts from the provided print out or cut out your own animal parts from magazines you find at home. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Draw it!

2. Build any animal you wish! Put different head or bodies together and see what animal you get!

How Does it work?You tell us! Name your new animal and explain why your animal has those body parts. Does it have stripes to help it blend into its environment? Or fins to help it swim? What kind of feet does it have and how has their foot shaped adapted to fit their environment? Bring your creation to your local library and show us what unique animal you made.

Continue Your Exploration

The Beak BookRobin Page

Play Like An Animal! Why Critters Splash,

Race, Twirl, and Chase Maria Gianferrari

Can an Aardvark Bark?Melissa Stewart

Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why

They Look The Way They DoSteve Jenkins and Robin Page

Frozen Wild: How Animals Survive In The Coldest Places on Earth

Jim Arnosky

Want to learn even more? Borrow these books and become an animal adaptations expert in no time at all!

Feathers and Hair, What Animals Wear

Jennifer Ward

What Do You Do With A Tail Like This?

Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Nose Knows: Wild Ways Animals Smell

the WorldEmmanuelle Figueras

Animal Tracks and Traces

Mary Holland

Eye By Eye: Comparing How Animals See

Sara Levine

Look Again: Secrets of Animal Camouflage

Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Through The Animal Kingdom: Discover

Amazing Animals and Their Remarkable Homes

Derek Harvey

What If You Had Animal Teeth? Sandra Markle

Who Has These Feet?Laura Hulbert

Do Frogs Drink Hot Chocolate? How

Animals Keep Warm Etta Kaner


We have so many titles on exploring animals around the world and their unique features we couldn’t add them all. Be sure to check your local library shelves to continue learning and reading!

Biology 570s | Birds 598s | MaMMals 599s | aniMal Behaviors 591.5

This program was funded in part through a federal Institute of Museum and Library Services LSTA grant awarded by the State Library of Ohio.

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