What Is My Adaptation? - Teachers (U.S. National Park Service) - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to fill out the worksheet. We’ll look at each trait and decide if it belongs to a Plant, Animal, or Human — and whether it helps them survive.

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Trait 1: “I have legs that help me run away from danger”

- Plants don’t have legs.
- Humans have legs and can run.
- Animals (like deer, rabbits, etc.) also have legs and run from danger.
→ So this fits Animal and Human.
→ Yes, running away helps you survive → Yes

But note: The worksheet probably expects one check per row unless specified otherwise. Since animals are most known for fleeing predators in nature, we’ll put it under Animal. But humans could also fit. Let’s follow typical school logic: animals = escape predators; humans = use tools/brains more than running. Still, both are valid. For simplicity, let’s assign to Animal first.

Actually — looking ahead, some traits will clearly belong to only one group. Let’s be precise.

Wait — let’s think again:
Plants? No legs.
Animals? Yes — many have legs to flee.
Humans? Yes — we have legs too.
So technically, both Animal and Human. But since the worksheet may expect one answer per row, and “run away from danger” is classic animal behavior in biology lessons, we’ll mark Animal. And yes, it helps survive.

BUT — let’s hold off and see other rows. Maybe we should allow multiple checks? The table doesn’t say “only one”. In real life, humans AND animals have legs to run. So perhaps we should check both? However, in elementary worksheets like this, they often want the *best* fit. Let’s proceed with best fit per row.

Actually — let’s do it properly:

We’ll evaluate each trait and assign to the category that BEST matches it based on common science curriculum.

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Row-by-row analysis:

1. “I have legs that help me run away from danger”
- Plant: ✘ no legs
- Animal: ✔ yes — e.g., rabbit, deer
- Human: ✔ yes — we can run
- Help survive? ✔ Yes
→ But since humans are a type of animal biologically, but here listed separately, we might need to choose. In many such worksheets, “Animal” means non-human animal. So let’s put this under Animal, and maybe human gets other traits. Or perhaps both? Let’s check the next ones.

Actually — let’s look at all traits together to avoid conflict.

2. “I communicate with my species by song”
- Plant: ✘ no songs
- Animal: ✔ birds, whales, frogs sing
- Human: ✔ we sing too! But “by song” as primary communication? Not really — we use language mostly. Birds use song to attract mates or warn others — very adaptive.
→ Best fit: Animal
→ Helps survive? ✔ Yes — mating, warning calls

3. “I can help protect the plants and animals of our world”
- Plant: ✘ plants don’t actively protect ecosystems
- Animal: ✘ animals don’t consciously protect the whole world
- Human: ✔ YES — conservationists, recycling, parks, laws — humans do this intentionally
→ Human
→ Helps survive? ✔ Indirectly — protecting environment helps us survive long-term

4. “I smell sweet to attract pollinating insects”
- Plant: ✔ flowers smell sweet to get bees/butterflies to pollinate them
- Animal: ✘ not typically
- Human: ✘ no
→ Plant
→ Helps survive? ✔ Yes — reproduction via pollination

5. “I can make my own food”
- Plant: ✔ photosynthesis!
- Animal: ✘ must eat other things
- Human: ✘ must eat food
→ Plant
→ Helps survive? ✔ Absolutely — self-sustaining

6. “Thick bark protects my insides from damage caused by insects and other animals. It also helps keep me from drying out”
- Plant: ✔ trees have bark!
- Animal: ✘ skin/fur, not bark
- Human: ✘ no bark
→ Plant
→ Helps survive? ✔ Yes — protection and water retention

7. “I can get water from a misty cloud”
- Plant: ✔ some plants (like bromeliads or fog-catching plants) absorb moisture from air/clouds
- Animal: ✘ usually drink water directly
- Human: ✘ we collect rain or tap water, not直接从clouds
→ Plant
→ Helps survive? ✔ Yes — especially in dry areas

8. “Animals like to eat my fruit. They spread my seeds in their droppings”
- Plant: ✔ fruits evolved to be eaten so seeds disperse
- Animal: ✘ animals eat fruit, but don’t produce it for seed dispersal
- Human: ✘ we eat fruit but don’t rely on being eaten to spread seeds
→ Plant
→ Helps survive? ✔ Yes — seed dispersal = reproduction

9. “My seeds are protected by a hard covering”
- Plant: ✔ nuts, acorns, coconuts — hard shells protect seeds
- Animal: ✘ animals don’t have seeds
- Human: ✘ no
→ Plant
→ Helps survive? ✔ Yes — protects embryo until conditions are right

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Now let’s summarize what we’ve decided:

| Traits | Plant | Animal | Human | Does it help me survive? |
|--------|-------|--------|-------|--------------------------|
| I have legs that help me run away from danger | | ✔ | | ✔ |
| I communicate with my species by song | | ✔ | | ✔ |
| I can help protect the plants and animals... | | | ✔ | ✔ |
| I smell sweet to attract pollinating insects | ✔ | | | ✔ |
| I can make my own food | ✔ | | | ✔ |
| Thick bark protects my insides... | ✔ | | | ✔ |
| I can get water from a misty cloud | ✔ | | | ✔ |
| Animals like to eat my fruit... | ✔ | | | ✔ |
| My seeds are protected by a hard covering | ✔ | | | ✔ |

Wait — what about humans having legs? Shouldn’t we check Human for the first row?

In many educational contexts, when “Animal” and “Human” are separate columns, “Animal” refers to non-human animals. So even though humans have legs, the trait “run away from danger” is more associated with prey animals in nature lessons. Also, humans often use other strategies (hiding, fighting, using tools). So it’s safer to assign to Animal.

Similarly, “communicate by song” — while humans sing, it’s not our main survival communication method. Birds and frogs rely on song for mating and territory — critical for survival. So Animal is better.

All other assignments seem solid.

Also, every single trait listed DOES help the organism survive — that’s the point of adaptations!

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Final Answer:

Here is the completed worksheet:

| Traits | Plant | Animal | Human | Does it help me survive? |
|--------|-------|--------|-------|--------------------------|
| I have legs that help me run away from danger | | ✓ | | ✓ |
| I communicate with my species by song | | ✓ | | ✓ |
| I can help protect the plants and animals of our world | | | ✓ | ✓ |
| I smell sweet to attract pollinating insects | ✓ | | | ✓ |
| I can make my own food | ✓ | | | ✓ |
| Thick bark protects my insides from damage caused by insects and other animals. It also helps keep me from drying out | ✓ | | | ✓ |
| I can get water from a misty cloud | ✓ | | | ✓ |
| Animals like to eat my fruit. They spread my seeds in their droppings | ✓ | | | ✓ |
| My seeds are protected by a hard covering | ✓ | | | ✓ |

Note: All traits help the organism survive — that’s why they’re called adaptations!