Organisms have features, called adaptations, that help them to survive in the conditions where they normally live. Adaptations may be structural, behavioural or functional.
Structural adaptations are features of the body, such as the thick layer of fat and white fur of a polar bear, or the long roots of a desert plant. Behavioural adaptations are ways an animal acts, such as migrating to a warmer place for winter or hiding in a burrow in the heat of the day. Functional adaptations are to do with processes inside the body, such as the way a camel's body saves water, or how some animals produce a poison to defend themselves.
When you are given information about an organism, name the feature and then explain how it helps survival, for example how thick fur reduces heat loss in a cold habitat.
Some organisms live in very extreme conditions, such as at high temperature, high pressure or high salt concentration. They are called extremophiles. Bacteria living in deep sea vents are extremophiles.