KS3 · Biology

Adaptations of predators and prey

Look at a tiger's face and a hare's face. Where their eyes sit is a big clue to which one is hunting and which one is being hunted, before anyone says a word.

Biology · Predators and prey

Whose side is this feature on?

A predator is an animal that hunts and eats other animals. Prey is an animal that gets caught and eaten. Each feature below is an adaptation: something an animal has that helps it live where it does. Decide who each one helps: the predator catching its food, the prey avoiding being caught, or both.

  • A Predator: helps it catch prey
  • B Prey: helps it avoid being caught
  1. Sharp teeth and powerful jaws
  2. Curved, sharp talons and claws
  3. A beak that can stab fish
  4. Running fast and catching prey by surprise (a cheetah)
  5. Being nocturnal (active at night)
  6. Bright yellow, red or orange colouring (a poison dart frog)
  7. Copying the look of a poisonous animal (a hoverfly looks like a wasp)
  8. Spines and hairs (hedgehog, sea urchin, hairy caterpillar)
  9. Eyespots (marks that look like eyes)
  10. Chemicals that smell or taste unpleasant
  11. Camouflage

Predict, then check

Treat the animal's face as evidence. Commit to an answer first.

A tiger's eyes sit together at the front of its head. What does that most likely tell you about how it lives?

Easy to mix up

Warning coloursvsMimicry

Two defences, one crucial difference.

Focus

Whose danger is it?

Warning colours

The animal's own: it really is poisonous or tastes unpleasant

Mimicry

Borrowed: it copies an organism that really is poisonous

The insight

This is the difference to hold on to. Warning colours report the animal's own danger. Mimicry copies someone else's.

What the predator sees

Warning colours

Bright yellow, red or orange

Mimicry

An animal that looks like one predators avoid

Example

Warning colours

A poison dart frog

Mimicry

A hoverfly, which resembles a wasp

Biology · Check your thinking

Where do adaptations come from?

A cheetah runs fast. A hedgehog is covered in spines. Both features help the animal survive. But how did each animal come to have its feature?

Which idea is closest to what you think?
How sure are you?

Biology · Write it up

Describe it like a biologist

Describe two adaptations of a predator and two adaptations of a prey animal, and say how each one helps the animal survive. [4 marks]

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Every feature on a hunter or a hunted animal is doing a job. Your task is to work out whose job it is.

What you need to know

  • A predator hunts and eats other animals; prey is an animal that gets caught and eaten.
  • An adaptation is a feature that helps an organism live in a particular place.
  • Predators are adapted to capture prey, and prey are adapted to avoid being hunted.
  • Camouflage helps prey hide and helps predators approach unnoticed.
  • Adaptations are inherited from parents, not chosen, and changes take time to evolve.

The big picture

Predators are adapted to catch prey, and prey are adapted to avoid being caught. A few adaptations, such as camouflage, help both sides. Adaptations are inherited from parents, not chosen, and changes take time to evolve.

Key points

1Predator adaptations include sharp teeth, powerful jaws, curved talons and claws, stabbing beaks, good eyesight and speed or surprise.
2Prey adaptations include camouflage, being nocturnal, spines and hairs, eyespots, unpleasant chemicals and warning colours.
3Eyes at the front of the head help a predator judge distance; eyes on the sides give prey a wide field of view.
4Warning colours show an animal's own danger, but mimicry copies the look of an organism that is poisonous.
5Camouflage is the one adaptation in this lesson that helps both sides.
6Adaptations are inherited from parents, so animals do not choose them, and change takes time.

Worked example

Problem

You find an unfamiliar animal. Its eyes sit together at the front of its head, it has curved, sharp claws, and its body blends into the background. Is it more likely to be a predator or prey?

⚠ Watch out

Thinking an animal chooses or grows an adaptation because it needs one, or that it can change straight away when its surroundings change. Adaptations are inherited from parents, and changes take time to evolve.

🧠

Memory hook

Front-facing eyes aim at dinner; side-facing eyes watch for danger.

✓

Check yourself

Without looking back: an animal has eyes on the sides of its head and spines on its back. What job does each feature do, and is it more likely to be a predator or prey?

Flashcards

(14)
What is a predator?
An animal that hunts and eats other animals.
What is prey?
An animal that is caught and eaten by another animal.
What is an adaptation?
A feature that helps an organism live in a particular place.
What are the two main types of adaptation?
Adaptations that help with feeding, and adaptations that provide protection.
Why are a predator's eyes often at the front of its head?
Eyes together at the front help it judge distance well (for example a tiger).
Why are a prey animal's eyes often on the sides of its head?
It gives a wide field of view, so predators can be seen coming (for example a hare).
What can bright yellow, red or orange colouring warn a predator?
That the animal is poisonous or tastes unpleasant (for example a poison dart frog).
What is mimicry?
Copying the look of an organism that is poisonous, so predators avoid it (for example a hoverfly resembles a wasp).
Name three prey defences besides hiding, warning colours and mimicry.
Spines and hairs (difficult to eat), eyespots (distract, deflect or startle), and chemicals that smell or taste unpleasant.
How do talons, claws and beaks help predators?
Curved, sharp talons and claws help catch and kill prey; some birds' beaks can stab fish in the water.
Why does surprise matter to a predator?
Catching prey off guard is an important tactic; predators can often run fast or surprise prey (for example a cheetah).
Why is camouflage used by both predators and prey?
It helps prey hide from predators, and helps predators approach prey unnoticed.
Name some ways camouflage can work.
Blending into the surroundings, matching them, having a pattern, or changing colour (squid and chameleons).
Do animals choose their adaptations?
No. They inherit them from their parents, and changes take time to evolve.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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How this lesson was checked. This KS3 Biologylesson was published through Lightbulb Learning's human-designed editorial process — the educational standards, accuracy rules and publication checks it must pass were authored and approved by Philip Halpin. It passed subject-specific assessment, automated educational checks and technical publication verification before going live (publication checks completed 2 October 2026). Published pages are monitored, human spot-checking is ongoing across the lesson library, and anything found wrong is corrected or withdrawn. How our lessons are made and checked. Spotted a mistake? Email hello@lightbulblearning.co and we'll review it.