​What Are Traits?

• ​Traits are characteristics of living things.​

• Physical traits are things you can see such as hair or eye color.

• ​Behavioral traits describe how a living thing acts or behaves.

Inherited Traits

​Inherited traits are traits that are passed down from parents to their offspring, or child. This process is called heredity.

Variation of Traits

​Animals, including humans, don't look exactly like their parents. They get some traits from their mom and some from their dad. This is called a variation of traits.

Variation of Traits in Plants

Variation also happens with plants. Plants have parents like we do. The pollen from a male plant is carried by either the wind or insects to a female plant, which then produces seeds that grow new plants. These plants won't look exactly like their parent plants.

Dominant Traits

Some inherited traits are stronger than others. These traits are more likely to show up in offspring and are called dominant traits.

Recessive Traits

Some inherited traits are weaker than others. These traits are less likely to show up in offspring and are called recessive traits.

Acquired Traits

Acquired traits are traits that are learned. Things you are good at because you have learned how to do them are acquired traits, like being a good reader or being good at basketball.