Verb
change so as to suit new or different conditions
His favorite toy is a plastic bucket. He has taken swimmingly to a large pool. And on Friday, he had his first taste of solid food. Mitik, the New York Aquarium's new baby walrus, is adapting well.
Adjective
involving death or injury in a disturbing or sickening way
A baby elephant is nabbed by a crocodile while drinking at a watering hole. Nearby elephants heard the little pachyderm's cries and rescued it from a likely gruesome fate.
Iguanas lay about 50 eggs at a time in burrows, but only 3-10 babies actually survive to be adults. When iguana babies hatch, they grow up without care from their parents.
The tough old tuatara is set to face grave romantic troubles in the future, to the dismay of biologists. Warmer climates mean that the sex of all hatchlings, which hinge on temperature, will be male.