Where Do Animals Live?
A habitat is the natural environment where an animal lives. A habitat provides food, water, space, and shelter to help an animal grow, reproduce, and survive.
There are five main habitats where animals live on our planet.
They are the forests, grasslands, deserts, polar regions, and oceans
Let’s explore the habitats of some animals.
Tiger – Forest
Over 80% of the land animals live in the forests. The tiger is the strongest of the big cats and lives primarily in the forest
- A forest is a land covered by trees growing close together.
- Animals live on the ground and the tree tops.
- The thick tree cover of the forests helps the tiger to attack its prey.
Fun Fact: The Amazon Rainforest produces 20% of the world’s oxygen
Zebra – Grasslan
Grasslands habitat receive more rain than the deserts but less than forests. The primary type of plant here is grasses.
- Grasslands lie between mountains and deserts.
- African grasslands are home to animals like zebras, giraffes, and antelopes.
- Zebras use their stripes to camouflage or hide themselves in the tall grasses.
Fun Fact: Grasslands cover 25% of our planet.
Camel – Desert
Deserts are the driest places on Earth and get fewer than 10 inches of rain in a year.
- Camels have adapted to live in the desert.
- They have large, flat feet with a protective covering to help them walk across the desert.
- Camels store fat in their humps, giving them energy to travel long distances.
Fun Fact: Antarctica is the largest ice desert in the world, as it does not receive more than 2 inches of rainfall a year.
Polar Bear – Polar Regio
The polar regions are located at the top and bottom of the Earth near the North and South poles.
- Polar regions are windy with ice and snow.
- There are no trees in the polar regions. The only plants are moss and lichen.
- Polar bears hunt, live, and breed on the sea ice that covers the Arctic.
Fun Fact: The Arctic region where Polar bears live is warmer than the Antarctic (South Pole).
Whale – Ocean
Oceans cover 70% of our planet and are the habitat for some of the large marine mammals like whales and sharks.
- Whales live in all oceans of the world: the warmer oceans near the equator and the coldest oceans near the poles.
- Oceans provide plenty of food for the whales.
- Some whales migrate long distances to raise their young.
Fun Fact: Whales use a blowhole at the top of their heads to breathe.
Review
Let’s quickly review all the interesting information we learned about the various habitats.
- What is a tiger’s habitat where many trees grow close together? Forest
- Which habitat is the driest and gets less than 10 inches of rainfall in a year? Desert
- Which habitat covers 25% of our planet and is home to animals like the Zebra and Giraffe? Grassland
- Which treeless habitat does the Polar Bear live in? Polar Region
- Which habitat do marine mammals like the whale and shark live in? Ocean
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