Surviving Extreme Environments: Animal and Plant Adaptations — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 6 ecosystems & food chains worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 6 · Science · Ecosystems & Food ChainsSurviving Extreme Environments: Animal and Plant Adaptations — Answers
Part A: Life at the extremes
Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.
An adaptation is a feature or behaviour that helps a living thing survive in its environment. Structural adaptations are body parts, such as thick fur. Behavioural adaptations are things an animal does, such as moving to the shade.
Hot deserts have very little rain and are hot by day but can be cold at night. A cactus stores water in its thick, waxy stem, has spines instead of wide leaves, and spreads its roots wide to soak up rain quickly. The fennec fox has huge ears that release body heat, and many desert animals are active at night.
Polar regions are freezing and windy. Polar bears have thick fur, a thick layer of fat under the skin and small ears that lose little heat. Emperor penguins huddle in big groups and take turns in the middle where it is warmest.
The deep ocean is dark, cold and has crushing water pressure. Some fish there make their own light to find food.
- Awater
- Bfat
- Cair
- Dmilk
Answer: fat
A camel's hump stores fat, which it can use for energy when food is scarce. It does not store water.
- AIt loses less water and animals are less likely to eat it.
- BIt makes more food from sunlight.
- CIt helps the cactus float.
- DIt keeps the cactus warm at night.
Answer: It loses less water and animals are less likely to eat it.
Spines have very little surface for water to escape from, and they protect the cactus's stored water from thirsty animals.
- Aa polar bear's thick fur
- Ba cactus's waxy skin
- Cpenguins huddling together to keep warm
- Da fennec fox's large ears
Answer: penguins huddling together to keep warm
Huddling is something the penguins do — a behaviour. Fur, waxy skin and large ears are body features (structural).
- AThey cannot see in daylight.
- BThere is more food in the dark.
- CTheir fur glows in the dark.
- DIt is much cooler, so they lose less water.
Answer: It is much cooler, so they lose less water.
Deserts are very hot by day. Being active at night helps animals avoid the heat and save water.
- AThe deep ocean is completely dark, so light can attract prey or a mate.
- BIt keeps the fish warm.
- CIt helps the fish breathe.
- DIt helps the fish float to the top.
Answer: The deep ocean is completely dark, so light can attract prey or a mate.
Sunlight does not reach the deep ocean. A glowing lure attracts small animals for the fish to eat.
Part B: How adaptations help
- thick fat layer
- wide-spreading shallow roots
- large thin ears
- keeps body heat in
- release body heat
- collect rain quickly
Answer: thick fat layer → keeps body heat in; wide-spreading shallow roots → collect rain quickly; large thin ears → release body heat
Answer: structural
Answer: (a) behavioural — it is something the bird does; (b) structural — it is a body part that keeps out sand.
Part C: True or false?
Write True or False.
Answer: False
This is a common myth. The hump stores fat. Camels can drink a very large amount of water at once and lose very little.
Answer: False
Adaptations develop over many generations. A single animal cannot decide to grow a new feature.
Answer: True
Its white winter coat is camouflage. In summer it turns brown or grey to match the ground.
Answer: True
Small ears have less surface for heat to escape from. Desert foxes have the opposite: big ears that give off heat.
Part D: Working scientifically: a fat-layer model
Use Mia's results to answer.
Mia filled two test tubes with warm water at 40 °C. Tube A was bare. Tube B was wrapped in a thick layer of solid cooking fat. She stood both tubes in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes: Tube A = 20 °C · Tube B = 32 °C
Answer: 20 °C (40 − 20 = 20).
Answer: 8 °C (40 − 32 = 8).
Model answer: The tube wrapped in fat lost only 8 °C while the bare tube lost 20 °C. The fat is an insulator — it slows down heat leaving. A thick fat layer helps a polar bear or seal keep its body heat in freezing water.
Success criteria:
- Compares the two temperature drops
- States that fat is an insulator / slows heat loss
- Links the model back to a real polar animal
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.