SCIENCE TASK Living things and their habitats recap

DNA HabitatsMatch the animals to the different habitats.

DNA- Answers HabitatsMatch the animals to the different habitats.

Habitat• A habitat is the home of an animal or a plant. The environment where

plants, animals and other organisms around the world live are known as habitats. A habitat is an environment where certain species can find food, shelter, mates for reproduction and protection from predators . Almost every place on Earth—from the hottest desert to the coldest ice pack—is a habitat for some kinds of animals and plants. Most habitats include a community of animals and plants along with water, oxygen, soil or sand, and rocks. A habitat can exist in any size and can even be as small as a rock pool or a log that is decaying on the forest floor. The word habitat however, generally refers to the grouping of animals and plants, together with their surroundings. Habitats contain both living organisms and non-living objects and can contain anywhere from just a few species to thousands of them, all coexisting in a very small space.

Ocean Habitats

There are massive variations in the different oceans’ temperatures and amounts of light. Because of this, they are home to a large number of different species.

Some creatures which live in oceans have gills so they can breathe underwater. Others are able to hold their breath for long periods of time and come to the surface to breathe once in a while.

Many plants that live in the ocean have adapted to survive with less sunlight than plants that live on land require.

Oceans cover nearly 71% of the earth’s surface.

Oceans

Many kinds of plants grow in the ocean, including seaweed, grasses, algae and even flowers. The oceans contain all kinds of creatures, from giant whales to plankton so tiny that you need a microscope to see them.There are more than 21,000 species of fish in the ocean. Fish breathe underwater using special organs called gills.

Many mammals live in the sea, such as seals, whales, and dolphins. These creatures need

to return to the surface to breathe air,

like we do.

Some creatures crawl over the bottom of the ocean or burrow beneath it. They include lobsters, crabs, prawns and starfish.

What Lives in the Southern Ocean?x

Emperor penguins have layers of fat and thick skin to protect them from cold temperatures. During extremely cold temperatures, emperor penguins huddle in groups of up to 1000 to help keep each other warm. Their bodies are streamlined to help them glide quickly in the water when catching prey.

Emperor Penguinx

Leopard seals are both land and sea creatures. A leopard seal’s nostrils are slits that close when the seal is under water. Leopard seal’s eyes open wide while they are swimming to allow more light in and help the seal find food.

Leopard Seal

Deserts cover over 1/5 of the world’s land surface.

Desert habitat

A desert is any place that gets less than 25cm of rainfall a year.

There are deserts on all continents.

Deserts are part of a land type called drylands. These areas often lose more moisture through evaporation than they get in rainfall.

What Are Deserts Like?

We tend to think that all deserts are hot. The Sahara regularly has temperatures of 50°C during the day. The highest recorded temperature

in Death Valley in the USA was 56.7°C.

Did You Know?Only 20% of the earth’s deserts are covered in sand.

The Gobi Desert

Some deserts however are actually cold. Winter temperatures in the Gobi desert can reach -40°C. The world’s largest deserts are in the Arctic and Antarctic.

What Animals Live in the Desert?

Animals that are adapted to living in the desert are known as xerocoles.

camel meerkat sidewinder

fennec fox scorpion lizard

A grassland is an open space covered in grass. Usually, grasslands form when there isn’t enough water for a forest to grow but enough so that a desert doesn’t form.

Grasslands are found across the world and are known by different names in different places: in the USA, they are called prairies; African grasslands are called savannahs; South Americans call them pampas; some parts of Europe and Asia call them steppes.

Grassland habitat

• Temperate grasslands – These grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. The grass in a temperate grassland has deep roots and the soil is good for growing crops. Grasslands across the USA, Europe and Asia are temperate.

• Tropical grasslands – These grasslands have a wet and a dry season. The range of temperatures throughout the year is smaller than temperate grasslands. Savannas in Africa are examples of tropical grasslands.

Types of Grassland

There are two main types of grasslands:

Temperate Grasslands

North American grasslands are home to animals such as buffalo, prairie dogs, coyotes and wolves.

Temperate grasslands in Europe and Asia are the habitats of foxes, wild boar, hedgehogs and squirrels.

buffalo coyote wolf prairie dog

fox wild boar hedgehog squirrel

Polar Habitats Polar habitats are located at the very top and very bottom of the Earth. They are cold, windy and have a lot of snow and ice. It’s even too cold for trees to grow. Polar habitats are located in the very north and very south of the globe – the two pole ends of the Earth. The northern polar region is called the Arctic, and in the south the polar region is the continent of Antarctica. Polar habitats have just two seasons – summer and winter (but even summer is normally very cold). In the summer, it is light for 24 hours a day (right at the north and south Poles, the sun doesn’t set for six whole months when it is summer) and in the winter it is dark for 24 hours a day. Animals who live in polar regions have adapted by having thick fur or feathers, and hunting fish or each other rather than relying on plants for food.

The ArcticThe Arctic Circle is located at the very top of the Earth. It is very cold in the Arctic all year round.

The only plants that can grow in the Arctic region are grass and mosses. Trees are unable to grow because the ground stays frozen all year round. In some places in the Arctic it is too cold for anything to grow at all.

There are many land mammals in the Arctic including ox, reindeer, artic foxes, weasels, wolves, polar bears and brown bears.

Seals, walruses and whales live here and feed from the plankton and fish in the sea.

Tropical RainforestsThe tropical rainforests are home to gigantic trees, colourful birds, millions of bright insects, and many different mammals.

There are more trees in tropical rainforests than anywhere else in the world. These trees are home to lots of animals. Most of them live high in the branches where they can find food.

Insects, small birds and frogs feed on the fruit, seeds and leaves, or other small creatures. Tree-living lizards, chameleons and snakes feed on smaller animals. Plant-eating mammals, such as flying squirrels, monkeys, and sloths, live in the forest canopy. Carnivores, such as jaguars and leopards, hunt in the trees to catch prey.

British Habitats

Habitat

Flowering plants such as nettles, daisies, dandelions and buttercups grow in parks, gardens and hedges. They even grow in abandoned buildings and through cracks in concrete. Many insects, slugs and snails live among the plants.

Some animals, such as squirrels and garden birds, get their food from the trees and hedges that grow in cities. Other animals like foxes, pigeons and rats are able to live in cities because they get most of their food from the waste that people leave behind.

Urban Habitats

In a woodland habitat there are lots of trees that grow close together. Common trees that grow here include English oak, ash, beech, hawthorn and birch.

Most British woodlands are deciduous, which means the leaves fall off the trees in winter. The fallen leaves provide food and shelter for many creatures and rot into the soil, making it rich and full of nutrients.As well as the fallen leaves, there are shrubs, flowers and grasses beneath the trees. These provide a home for many insects and invertebrates like worms, slugs and snails.

Woodland Habitats

The fruit and seeds of the trees, and the small creatures that live among the leaves, provide food for many birds and small mammals such as bats, mice, squirrels, stoats and weasels.

Bigger mammals such as badgers, foxes and deer are common in woodland. There are also beavers, otters, and wild boar, though these animals are less common.

Woodland Habitats

Pond Habitats

Pond Habitats

Coastal Habitats

Coastal Habitats

Our Habitat

Our Habitat

Most people in Britain live in an urban habitat. Urban habitats are areas with lots of buildings for people to live and work in.

Some of the living things in urban habitats are here because people have put them there. This includes trees, hedges and plants in parks and gardens, and our pets. There are also many living things that grow wild in urban habitats. These plants and animals have found ways to survive alongside all the people that live nearby.

Urban Habitats

Extra information

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrSWYE37MJs

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxrlEajA398

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zbp6n39

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zv7w2hv

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIr036csrso

Activity

What does your local habitat look like? What trees, plants and animals live in your habitat? If you are able to, you could go for a walk (with an adult) and have a look around your local area and see what different animals and plants you see. See if you can find any animal homes too! Show your findings on a bubble map. You can also add some pictures if you want!

ExtensionWhat other kind habitat would you like to live in? Why?Use PEE to explain your answer. (Point, Evidence, Explain)

My local habitat

Exit ticket

•Write a ridiculous statement about habitats that would be virtually impossible. Now try to prove it could happen.