Habitats

What is a habitat? A habitat is any place where a particular animal or plant lives. Most animals are only adapted to live in one or two habitats.

Desert habitat What is a desert habitat? Deserts cover about 1/5 of the earth’s surface. They have very little rainfall and extreme temperatures. Plants and animals are not abundant. Deserts are very dry areas. Some deserts are very hot during the day and very cold at night. Some deserts are always cold.

Tundra habitat What is a tundra habitat? It’s a cold, treeless area. It is characterized by very low temperatures, very little rain or snow. It has a short growing season. There are two kinds of tundras: arctic and alpine.

Grassland habitat What is a grassland habitat? It’s a grassy, windy, partly-dry area, a sea of grass. Almost 1/4 of the earth is grassland. It has very few trees and shrubs. Animals are grazing animals, burrowing animals, and their predators; insects are abundant.

Rainforest habitat What are rainforests habitats? They are very dense, warm, wet forests. They are havens for millions of plants and animals. The plants generate much of the Earth’s oxygen and are used in new drugs that fight disease and illness.

Coral Reef habitat What are coral reefs? They are warm, clear, shallow parts of the ocean. It is formed from coral polyps, tiny animals that live in colonies. When they die they leave behind a hard, stony, branching structure made of limestone. The coral provides shelter for many animals in the ocean.

Wetland habitat What are wetlands? They are warm, wet areas that are teeming with both animal and plant life. The water-logged land is often heavily forested, with trees. Some animals live in the low-oxygen water, some live at the surface, and some live above the water.

Pond habitat What is a pond habitat? A pond has both animal and plant life. Some animals live in the water, some live above the water, and others live in the area surrounding the pond.

Forest habitat What is a forest habitat? Temperate forests are in cool, rainy areas; the trees lose their leaves in fall. Almost all kinds of animals live here. Another type of forest is the cold woodlands; this includes about 50 million acres and is the largest habitat on our planet. Very few animals live here because of the harsh weather conditions.

Ocean habitat What is an ocean habitat? Oceans cover almost 3/4 of the Earth’s surface. It is home to lobsters, crabs, fish, octopus’s, tuna, seals, whales, sharks and many other animals.

Each habitat is home to many different kinds of animals!