Introduction: Adaptation is defined as the structural and physiological modification in the body of the living organisms in order to adjust themselves in the particular environment. Aquatic environment is the habitat which consists the large or smaller water bodies like sea,lakes, ponds, rivers ponds,streams and even the ditches and the pools.
Which animals are the aquatic vertebrates? Aquatic vertebrate animals are the vertebrate animals with back bone in their body and aquatic means living in any type of water body.Fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals are the classes of which some of the animals of each group are adapted or adjusted to live in the aquatic habitat. Not all the animals of each group are adapted in water but only few of them are adapted to live in water bodies. For example, Fishes, amphibians, some reptiles, some birds and some mammals are adapted to live in water.
Adaptational features of the aquatic adapted animals : Animals which are adapted in aquatic habitat usually show the following adaptational features:
- They have streamlined body shape which helps them to minimise water resistance which makes them to live easily in in water.
- Respiratory organs are gills or nostrils . But in perfectly adapted forms gills are the respiratory organs which help to take in dissolved oxygen from water and give out carbondioxide. Nostrils or the nose openings in the aquatic adapted vertebrates other than the fishes in which the position of nostrils is jfound at the or near the top of the head which makes them to take in oxygen from the air by frequently coming up to the surface of water.
- Locomotory organs are fins in the perfectly adapted forms like fishes but in other aquatic forms fins are not found but fin-like structures called flippers and paddle are found which help them to move easily in aquatic habitat.
- Modification is also found in the toes in some aqsuatic animals. A thin fold of skin called web is developed between the toes for e.g. in ducks and frogs. Presence of helps them a lot to increase the surface area for swimming.
- Modification in the skin or under the skin is also found. For example, whales have the thick layer of fat under the surface of their skin which helps them in temperature regulation so that they can survive easily even in the extreme cold temperature of the winter season.
Which animals are the aquatic vertebrates? Aquatic vertebrate animals are the vertebrate animals with back bone in their body and aquatic means living in any type of water body.Fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals are the classes of which some of the animals of each group are adapted or adjusted to live in the aquatic habitat. Not all the animals of each group are adapted in water but only few of them are adapted to live in water bodies. For example, Fishes, amphibians, some reptiles, some birds and some mammals are adapted to live in water.
Adaptational features of the aquatic adapted animals : Animals which are adapted in aquatic habitat usually show the following adaptational features:
- They have streamlined body shape which helps them to minimise water resistance which makes them to live easily in in water.
- Respiratory organs are gills or nostrils . But in perfectly adapted forms gills are the respiratory organs which help to take in dissolved oxygen from water and give out carbondioxide. Nostrils or the nose openings in the aquatic adapted vertebrates other than the fishes in which the position of nostrils is jfound at the or near the top of the head which makes them to take in oxygen from the air by frequently coming up to the surface of water.
- Locomotory organs are fins in the perfectly adapted forms like fishes but in other aquatic forms fins are not found but fin-like structures called flippers and paddle are found which help them to move easily in aquatic habitat.
- Modification is also found in the toes in some aqsuatic animals. A thin fold of skin called web is developed between the toes for e.g. in ducks and frogs. Presence of helps them a lot to increase the surface area for swimming.
- Modification in the skin or under the skin is also found. For example, whales have the thick layer of fat under the surface of their skin which helps them in temperature regulation so that they can survive easily even in the extreme cold temperature of the winter season.
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