GRASSLANDS BIOME OR HABITAT This area is covered mostly with grasses, has few large trees, and at times has very little water. Dominant colors in the grasslands are browns. An example of a grassland habitat is the African Plains. 1. What color of animals do you find here? Why? Discuss camouflage. 2. Would a white animal be well suited to live in the grasslands? Why? 3. What animals live in herds in the grasslands? Animals that are prey in the grasslands generally live in herds. Herds help them survive because there are few places to hide in the grasslands. Herds make it harder for predators to single their prey out.
FOREST BIOME OR HABITAT The forest has many large trees, and usually enough water to support the trees and lots of other plant life and animals. Forests can generally have both warm and cold seasons. An example of a forest is the North American Forest. 1. What color of animals do you find here? Why? 2. What animals live here easily because there is abundant water? Frogs and other amphibians live here because of their high need for water. 3. How do animals adapt to warm and cold seasons? Discuss how black bears, chipmunks, and some reptiles hibernate in the winter. Some animals grow fur in the winter to stay warm and shed it in the summer to stay cool.
DESERT BIOME OR HABITAT The desert has very little water and rainfall, is usually hot during the day and cooler at night, and has limited plant and animal life. Many plants and animals have to have special adaptations to live in the desert. An example of a desert is the African Sahara Desert. 1. What colors of animals are found in the desert? Why? 2. How do animals adapt to the little available water and high heat? They burrow in the day to avoid the heat. Their bodies have adapted to need very little water and to survive on the water found in their food. They eat plants that store water in their leaves or get their water from the animals that they eat.
RAINFOREST BIOME OR HABITAT The rainforest receives a lot of rain during the year, usually daily. The weather remains warm all year long. Because of the abundant water the rainforest is filled with plant and animal life. An example of a rainforest is the Amazon Rainforest in South America. 1. What colors of animals are found in the rainforest? Why? 2. Why don t we find very large animals in the rainforest? Large animals, like elephants, can t get around a rainforest because of the amount of plant life on the forest floor. Animals here are usually small and are able to live in trees. 3. Why do we find lots of frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians in the rainforest? There is abundant water in the rainforest.
OCEAN BIOME OR HABITAT The ocean contains salt water and is filled with plankton and algae to feed the fish. There are some animals, like seals, that spend some time on land but most of their time in the ocean. An example of an ocean habitat is the Pacific Ocean. 1. What colors of animals do you find in the ocean? There are many different colors depending on where the animals live in the ocean. 2. How are the animals like seals, walruses, and whales adapted to life in the freezing Arctic Ocean? They have thick layers of blubber to keep them warm.
ARCTIC BIOME OR HABITAT In the arctic habitat, the temperatures are very cold in the winter, snow covers the land for most of the year, grasses may be found only in a very short summer, and there are few trees. An example of an arctic habitat is Northern Canada. 1. What colors of animals do you find here? Why? They are white for camouflage in the long winter but some lose their white coat in the summer and turn brown to blend in and avoid being eaten. 2. How do mammals stay warm in the winter? They have thick coats of blubber and may become dormant and hibernate over the winter.