Where we live
Just like you and me, animals and plants too need a place to live. Some choose their homes while others are born into it. These are habitats and it provides them with food, protection from predators and the weather, and a safe place to live and raise their young. The five major habitats are forest, desert, water, grassland and the Tundras.
Animals and plants that are found in a particular habitat have adapted to this climate and surroundings, making it possible to survive. For example, the spider monkeys live on trees and hence have flexible tails allowing them to grasp and balance along the branches. Or, a cactus in the desert has spines to enable it to collect and retain moisture. Some animals, like the beaver, are particular about the homes they live. So, they prefer to build it themselves. Others are not so fussy, they just find themselves a comfortable place and make it their home.
Let’s take a look at four animals and their habitats. And, while you are at it…solve the puzzles too.
Fox
The fox is a versatile animal and is able to live in the plains, mountains, the desert, and both urban and suburban areas. They can also change the types of food they eat. In the winter months, they create underground dens to live in. This is part of their overall ability to survive in a variety of different habitats. They enjoy their own company and hunt alone.
Manatee
Because of the way their bodies are designed, the manatee doesn’t do well in cold waters. So, you will find them where the waters are warm. Manatees are loners, but if they happen to come across another they are not hassled about it. In fact, they chirp a greeting in passing. Turtles, small sharks, flounder and oysters live around the manatee, as it poses no danger to them. Manatees are herbivores.
Zebra
Zebras are single-hoofed animals that are native to Africa. Zebras are closely related to horses and donkeys. Though they all live in Africa, each species of zebra has its own home area. Plains zebras live in the treeless grasslands and woodlands of eastern and southern Africa. The Grevy’s zebra lives in the arid grasslands of Ethiopia and northern Kenya and the mountain zebra is found in South Africa, Namibia and Angola.
Orangutan
Orangutans are found in Indonesia on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Orangutans prefer a habitat that exists along waterways and in lowlands because of their high dependence on fruit. The islands of Borneo and Sumatra have vast mountain ranges and Orangutans are rarely seen in elevations that exceed 500 m. An Orangutan’s normal habitat is the tropical rainforest.