In this topic you will learn how a variety of characteristics help animals survive.

An animal's color can help it blend into its surroundings. Coloring that allows an animal to blend in is called camouflage. When an organism's body resembles its environment closely, it is said to have protective resemblance. Some animals have bright colors to attract a mate. Others use bright colors to warn predators not to eat them. Camouflage and protective resemblance are examples of an adaptation. An adaptation is a trait that helps organisms survive.

Body adaptations are called physical adaptations. Physical adaptations help animals survive in their environments. Adaptations happen naturally. For any adaptation, survival is the key. An adaptation that helps an animal survive is likely to become more common.

Monarch butterflies have an important adaptation that helps them survive—they don't taste good. Monarch butterfly bodies contain a poison. The viceroy butterfly looks similar to the monarch. The viceroy is not poisonous. Most predators won't take a chance eating it. The viceroy is protected by mimicry. Mimicry is when one organism imitates the traits of another.

Another type of adaptation involves behaviors, or actions. Inherited behavior is a behavior that is inborn. It is not learned. The simplest inherited behavior is a reflex. A reflex is automatic, like scratching an itch. Complicated inherited behavior is called instinct. Instincts are patterns of behavior, like spinning a web or building a nest. The behavior is complicated, but automatic. The spider and bird do not think about what to do, they just do it.

Some animal behaviors are not inherited. Behavior that is not inborn is called learned behavior. Animals learn through experience and change their behaviors. Almost all learning involves some form of trial and error.

Understanding adaptations help us learn how we can help animals survive. Knowing how animals learn helps us, too. We can train them to help people in need. It also makes you more aware of your own adaptations, including your greatest adaptation of all—your brain.