Porcupine

The animal that I am researching is the porcupine.  The porcupine has over 30,000 quills on its body that act as the porcupine’s defense mechanism and physical adaptation.

The quills are sharp bristles of fused hair. These help the porcupine to survive because when another animal attacks, the porcupine will hit the enemy with its quills, allowing them to settle into the attackers skin.  This hurts and could cause deadly wounds.  Porcupines also defend themselves by hitting the opponent with their spiked tale. The porcupine will only attack if it feels it is being threatened.

Here are two pictures of porcupines, showing its quills, which help them, defend themselves:

Here is another website that I read about porcupines on:

http://animal.discovery.com/mammals/porcupine-info.htm

Instructions

How Do Animals Survive? 

Dear students,

You will each be assigned an animal and you will use this blog to create a post about the animal’s adaptations. Each post will be shared with your classmates so you can learn about each other's animal. You will be given two websites to use to research information about your animals adaptation. Find your animal below:

Polar Bear: Nature Works Polar Bear

                   National Geographic Polar Bear 

Porcupine: Nature Works Porcupine

                  National Geographic Porcupine

Monarch butterfly: Nature Works Monarch Butterfly

                              National Geographic Monarch Butterfly

Skunk: Nature Works Skunk
           National Geographic Skunk

Canada goose Nature Works Canada Goose

                        National Geographic Canada Goose

In your blog you will explain how this adaptation has helped the animal to survive. Refer to the bottom of this page for help with vocabulary words. Please provide the following information in your blog post:

1. State the animal that you are researching and the its’ adaptation. Make the title of your blog entry the name of your animal. 
2. Write at least 4 sentences explaining what the adaptation is and how this adaptation has helped the animal to survive. 
3. Provide 2 pictures clearly illustrating the animal’s adaptation. 
4. Provide another website link where we can find more information about the animals adaptation and how it uses this adaption to survive in its environment. 

Vocabulary:

Adaptation- A change in the habit and/or behavior of an animal species that enables it to better survive within its environment

Camouflage- To blend in to the surroundings