This unit focuses on adaptations that help animals survive in their environments. Students will learn about physical and behavioral traits that give certain animals an advantage, such as camouflage, migration patterns, hibernation, and defense mechanisms. They will understand how adaptations allow organisms to thrive in their habitats and outcompete others facing similar environmental challenges.
Use this slide to provide examples of physical and behavioral features of the marsh crab as an example of what students might look for in the following slides. Model how they might write this information on their t-chart.Physical features:Marsh crabs have their eyes on stalks located at the front corners of the body. They have two claws for grasping and tearing prey. The claws have rough edges for holding prey.They have six swimming and walking legs.The shell is hard protecting the soft inner parts of the crab.Behavioral features:Marsh crabs are found in cord grass marshes or nearby mud flats near the high water mark. Theylive in many interconnected burrows in the mudand thatare usually filled with water. Males are known for making “rapping” sounds when defending their burrow.They sometimes wave their claws to threaten predators or to attract mates.
Ask students to identify physical features they see in the picture. Then provide the following information.Gobies are smallfish with: long, thin bodies. large mouths and large, closely set eyes on the top of the head. two separate dorsal fins (on their back). modified pelvic fins that act as suction discs to help them hold on to a surface.Naked gobies spend the majority of their time resting and hiding in shallow waters near oyster reefs.Gobies feed mostly on small shrimp-like animals. The male goby guards the eggs until they hatch.
Ask students to identify physical features they see in the picture. Then provide the following information.Bristle worms, are soft-bodied worms with a segmented body.Bristle worms have tiny, hair-like bristles along each side of the body.They have a head with eyes and antennae.These worms wander among the shoreline and shallows in search of food.They feed on plankton, algae, and pieces of dead organisms.
Ask students to identify physical features they see in the picture. Then provide the following information.Some interesting facts: Flatworms are very flat and look like "flying carpets" as they glide through the water. Flatworms sometimes look like a flat, jelly-like blob hiding underneath a rock or shell near the Bay's shoreline. Flatworms are common in the middle to lower Bay among piers, jetties, oyster bars, and other hard surfaces in the shallows.Flatworms are major predators of barnacles and oyster spat. Flatworms wait for their prey to open its valves to feed; then the flatworm inserts its mouth into the prey's open valves and feeds on its interior tissues.
Ask students to identify physical features they see in the picture. Then provide the following information.Cattails grow up to 6 feet tall.The "tail" is actually the female flower spike and is made up of tightly packed seeds. The seeds can fluff out and be carried away by wind.The leaves of the cattail are long and narrow.The common or broad-leaved cattail grows mainly in fresh water areas. Cattails can sometimes grow so rapidly that they crowd out other plant species. Interesting facts:Native Americans have found interesting medicinal uses for parts of the cattail plant, such as preventing chafing; healing burns, sores and inflammation; curing kidney stones; and treating whooping cough.Cattails can also be used as food, drink and building materials.
The Tiger Swallowtail butterfly has beautiful yellow and black wings used for lying. It has 2 antenna and 6 legs. This Tiger Swallowtail is sipping nectar through a long tube called a proboscis. This butterfly prefers marshy areas. They are strong fliers and can often fly with one wing.
Ask students to identify physical features they see in the picture. Then provide the following information.Marsh periwinkles have hard outer shells to protect the soft inner body. Marsh periwinkles are snails that have a door (operculum) that protects it during cold weather. It can pull itself inside its shell and close the door. What might be one reason a snail would want to close its door? ( is to keep from drying up.)Marsh periwinkles use gills to get oxygen from the water. Periwinkle snails like to eat algae, bacteria, and decaying plant matter (detritus).Scientists believe that marsh periwinkles climb the stems of marsh grasses to avoid predators like blue crabs as well as to eat algae that grow on the plant stems.
The great egret is a wading bird that is all white in color. Adults have a long, spear-like yellow bill and long black legs and feet. The great egret lives in fresh and saltwater marshes and ponds, mud flats, tidal wetlands and shallows. Great egrets feed mostly on small fish, frogs, aquatic insects and other small animals. They hunt by wading in the shallows, leaning their neck forward and silently stalking their prey.Great egrets are nest in groups and are often found with other egrets andherons. One of the largest breeding colonies in the Chesapeake Bay region is in Canoe Neck Creek in St. Mary's County, Maryland.
Ask students to identify physical features they see in the picture. Then provide the following information.River otters have long white whiskers,webbed feet, and a long tail that is thick at the base and tapers toward the tip. They are covered with fur. River otters can be found along the borders of lakes, streams and marshes. They build dens in stream banks, making an underwater entrance to the den. River otters feed on fish, frogs, crabs, crayfish and small mammals, such as young muskratsand beavers.River otters are playful, energetic animals. They often create "rolling spots" where they roll and tumble with each other. They will also slide into the water on paths of snow, dirt or ice.
Ask students to identify physical features they see in the picture. Then provide the following information.The osprey is a large bird with a sharp, hooked beak and long sharp talons on its feet. It has a large wing span of over 2 meters.It has very keen eyesight.Ospreys can be found throughout the tidal Chesapeake and its rivers from early March through spring and summer.Ospreys feed on medium-sized fish. They hunt by flying high above the water searching for fish. Once it spots its prey, an osprey will hover over it while beating its wings, then quickly plunge its talons into the water to capture it.There are approximately 2,000 nesting pairs of ospreys in the Bay region — about one quarter of all nesting ospreys in the contiguous United States.
