adaptation
Adaptations are inherited traits that improve fitness in particular environments. This topic is part of Evolution within Science & Nature. This page currently draws on 40 supporting questions, with answers and bonus facts available below.
adaptation trivia questions
In biology, an adaptation helps an organism do what?
Answer: Survive or reproduce
Bonus fact: Adaptations are inherited traits that improve fitness in particular environments.
Polar bears' thick fur is an adaptation mainly for what?
Answer: Insulation
Bonus fact: Thick fur helps reduce heat loss in Arctic conditions.
Natural selection increases the frequency of adaptations when they improve what?
Answer: Reproductive success
Bonus fact: Traits that increase reproductive success tend to become more common.
Which fox species is famous for its enormous ears and desert adaptations in North Africa?
Answer: Fennec fox
Bonus fact: The fennec's large ears help dissipate heat and detect prey underground.
Which mammoth species is famous for thick fur and Ice Age cold adaptation?
Answer: Woolly mammoth
Bonus fact: Woolly mammoths were adapted to cold steppe environments.
What adaptation helps penguins move efficiently through water?
Answer: Flipper-like wings
Bonus fact: Penguin wings evolved into stiff flippers for underwater propulsion.
Which adaptation helps many predators judge distance accurately?
Answer: Forward-facing eyes
Bonus fact: Binocular vision improves depth perception.
What adaptation lets some tuna maintain body regions warmer than surrounding water?
Answer: Countercurrent heat exchange
Bonus fact: Special blood-vessel arrangements conserve heat.
What sensory adaptation is common among nocturnal mammals?
Answer: Enhanced hearing or smell
Bonus fact: Nonvisual senses help animals function in darkness.
Bradbury wrote the screenplay for which 1956 film adaptation of a Herman Melville novel?
Answer: Moby Dick
Bonus fact: John Huston directed the film.
What adaptation can brood parasites evolve to fool hosts?
Answer: Egg mimicry
Bonus fact: Eggs may resemble those of the host species.
Which adaptation helps red pandas descend trees headfirst?
Answer: Highly flexible ankles
Bonus fact: Red pandas are strongly arboreal, and their long bushy tails also help them balance in trees.