For our Evolution topic this week, the class were learning about adaptation. To explore this theme, we carried out a Cepaea snail survey around the grounds of the school. Cepaea snails can be found in most parts of the UK and there are several different varieties to be found according to the habitat they live in. The children looked at data that showed that yellow ones are found in warmer climates and in sand dunes. This adaptation is most likely to keep them cooler in the sun and camouflaged. The banded snails tended to be found in hedgerows and scrub. The brown shells are mostly in colder climates. 
The children predicted that they would find brown shelled snails in our grounds because they thought we had a colder climate. 
The results of our survey were very different to the predictions however. When we gathered our data we saw that most of the snails we found were pink or yellow and had bands. The banding fitted with the type of habitat we found them but we were all quite surprised to find so many pink and yellow snails! 
The children concluded that they may have adapted over time to a warmer environment because of climate change and the fact that we now do have warmer temperatures (although it doesn’t feel like that at the moment!). 
Some of the class have taken snail survey sheets home with them to continue their investigations within their own gardens and land. I wonder what they will find…

Science - Adaptation