What are five behaviors that might help animals survive in their environments?

Answer 1

Survival behaviors depend greatly on where the animal lives, their size, what sort of animal they are, and what they can eat.?

Let's say the animal is a generic canine... and let's start from scratch and imagine a totally new breed. Being a canine, it's granted to be either a scavenger, omnivore, and/or carnivore. Omnivourous scavengers have higher survival rates as they can eat whatever they can find, so let's go with that. Let's put him in an extreme enviroment; a blazing desert! So now we got a generic looking short furred dog like creature who scavenges and lives in the desert. Almost sounds like a dhole or a jackal.?

Behaviors that'll help our creature survive;?

-Being nocturnal. since he lives in a place that's blazing hot during the day, he can only venture out at night time when it's cooler.?

-Burrowing. This goes hand in hand with being nocturnal, while asleep he'll?

need to keep out of the sun, so he'll dig a burrow in the sand to keep cool.?

-trailing larger predators. Many scavengers like birds are known for following groups of predators around, in hopes of being able to snatch a quick and easy meal afterwords.?

-Hunt for small rodents and insects. Deserts are huge spaces and food is often scarce, even for an omnivorous scavenger. Insects and rodents are easy pickings provided you know how to find their burrows. They might stalk up on the critter and wait by the exit to scoop up their prey like the Ethiopian wolf does, or listen for aniamls moving around to pinpoint their location then pouncing on them or digging into their dens like a fox.?

-Our guy has to be able to reproduce as well. One of the best methods for that is to simply stick together. Not only does this mean that a potential breeding partner is right next door at all times, but you have a strength in numbers and you can go after bigger game and defend against bigger predators more easily. However, if an area is low on food, being in a huge group will only?replenish?your resources quickly. So to counter this, our dog is only going to form small "family" units, with one mate and their cubs.?

Now let's make another character... this time it's a bird who eats insects and lives in a colder climates forrest.?

-Nesting in trees. Ground laying birds are easy targets for many predators, and they are slower at flying off to escape. Building nests in trees and/or spending time in higher places lessens their chance at being someone's meal.?

-Seasonal migration, while exhausting, will prevent the bird from dying when weather get's too cold or too hot. It also aids in keeping the birds food supply from going extinct due to relentless over eating on the birds part. Furthermore, it helps aid in the?development?of wildlife?wherever?the bird flys thanks to seeds found in their droppings.?

-Flocking. While these means you'll have a lot of competitors, it also means that it's easier to find a mate, you have better protection from would-be predators, and a hundred eyes that will easily warn you to fly away at a moments notice.?

Furthermore, when birds are flocking, it can lead to roosting, which is pretty much the bird?equivalent?to sleeping in a heap.?

-Fluffing. When a bird fluffs out their feathers, it traps pockets of air. This helps the bird stay warm longer on the colder days, and since our bird is primarily a small northern bird, this is very important. Tucking their legs in and sun bathing during the day are also methods of staying warm.?

-Drinking liquid water... while a "no duh" sounding method, a bird might try to swallow ice and snow if thirsty enough. However, this lowers their internal body heat and can have negative effects. Plus, you never know what's been on that spot of snow. Drinking water that's still liquid is not just more sanitary but it's better for keeping warm.?