Animals and Environment

Environment and Animal Growth:

- How are the environments different?

- Are the species and number of animals
different?
- How do the climate, water supply and food
affect the animals’ growth?
How are the environments
different?
Different Biomes/Habitats:
 Tropical Rainforest
 Temperate Grassland
 Desert
 Polar Region
Tropical Rainforest
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUuA-C_I3DE
Tropical Rainforest
 What makes a tropical forest?
Tropical rainforests are very wet places,
receiving heavy rainfall either seasonally
or throughout the year. They are close to
the equator and get lots of sunlight and
warmth. (Temperatures - between 20 and
35°C, receive more than 200 cm rainfall
per year)
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/habitats/tropical_forests/index.cfm
What Makes the Tropical Rainforest
Special?
 The rainforests are home to half of the Earth's
plant and animal species.
 They are winter homes to many birds that breed
in temperate latitudes.
 The forests are a potential source of medicinal
plants that may benefit everyone on Earth.
 Tropical rainforests help maintain global rain and
weather patterns. Much of the water that
evaporates from the trees returns in the form of
rainfall. Removal of the forest can change the
natural rainfall patterns.
 http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/rforest/index.htm
Animals in the Tropical Rainforest
Tropical Rainforest
 Half of all the world's species live in
tropical rainforests
 Rainforests are the oldest ecosystem on
earth some forests in Southeast Asia have
been around for at least 100 million years
 Temperatures are constant throughout the
year and animals rarely have to search for
water due to the high rainfall
 Lots of plants to provide shelter and food
 http://www.tooter4kids.com/Rainforest/animals.html
Tropical Rainforest
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUuA-C_I3DE
Temperate Grassland

Temperate Grassland
 Grasslands develop wherever rainfall is not high
enough to produce a forest nor light enough to
form a desert.
 Temperate grasslands are found where the
summers are hot, the winters cold, and rainfall is
low throughout the year.
 There are few trees in true grasslands, either
because the climate is too dry or the soils are too
poor.
 Grazing and browsing by wild animals, frequent
fires, or both, prevents tree seedlings from
growing.
Temperate Grassland
 Different names
Grasslands are called different names in
different parts of the world: - ‘steppes’ in
Asia; ‘prairies’ in North America; ‘pampas’,
‘llanos’ and ‘cerrados’ in South America;
‘savannas’ and ‘velds’ in Africa; and
‘rangelands’ in Australia.
 http://www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/habitats/grasslands/index.cfm
 http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/index.htm
Animals in Temperate Grasslands
 Grasslands are dominated by grasses and
grasslike plants. Grasses are very special plants
that can keep on growing no matter how much
they are nibbled by animals - because their
growing points are situated low down near the
soil.
 Grasslands are home to many of the world's
grazing herbivores and fast moving predators
that eat them.
 Annual rainfall in the grasslands is between 10 to
30 inches, there is a seasonal drought every
year. Many animals are active only during the
rainy season.
 http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/index.htm
 http://www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/habitats/grasslands/animal_life/index.c
fm
Animals in Temperate Grasslands
Desert
Desert
 Deserts are the world's dry places and cover at least 1/5th
of the Earth’s surface.
 Rain seldom fall in deserts, it comes unexpectedly and
often several years might pass before another rainstorm
falls in the same place.
 Very hot summer temperatures. The temperature usually
drops at night and the desert becomes cool, because there
are no clouds to keep in the earth's heat. The difference
between day and night temperatures can be as much as
20°C (36°F).
 Some deserts are endless ‘seas of sand’ where the wind
piles the sand into great big dunes. Other deserts may be
flat, stony plains, or have rugged, rocky hills and
mountains. Most deserts are a combination of landscapes.
 http://www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/habitats/deserts/index.c
fm
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/index.htm
Animals in Desert
 Because there is so little water, deserts are bare
landscapes with few plants or animals.
 Animals that live in the hot desert have many
adaptations. Some animals never drink, but get
their water from seeds (some can contain up to
50% water), plants or the blood and body tissues
of their prey.
 Many animals are nocturnal, sleeping during the
hot day and only coming out at night to eat and
hunt.
 Some animals rarely spend any time above
ground. Spadefoot toads spend nine months of
every year underground!
 http://www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/habitats/deserts/animal_life/index.cfm
 http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/index.htm 
Animals in Desert
Polar Region/Tundra – North Pole
Polar Region/Tundra – North Pole
 These regions are very cold: the coldest temperature ever
known on earth (-89°C or -129°F) was recorded in
Antarctica. The average winter temperature in the Arctic is
about -30°C.
 The Antarctic is an isolated continent surrounding the
South Pole. It lies beneath ice and snow almost 2km thick.
It has high mountains and glaciers and is the coldest, driest
and windiest continent on Earth.
 The core of the Arctic is a great ocean - the Arctic Ocean -
parts of which are covered all year round by ice that drifts
about the North Pole. The Arctic Ocean has many
thousands of big and small islands and is almost
surrounded by land: the northern parts of Europe, Asia and
North America.
 http://www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/habitats/polar_regions/index.cfm
Animals in Polar region
 The frigid cold and deep snow makes life in the tundra very
difficult.  Every animal must adapt in order to survive. Some have
grown thick fur which turns white in the winter. Others find a
place to hibernate during the winter months. They are adapted to
breed and raise young quickly in the very short and cool
summers.
 Birds can move further and faster than mammals. Most of them
migrate to warmer areas to escape the Arctic winter.
 Rainfall is low and water is unavailable most of the year.
 Antarctica - the frozen continent
The seas surrounding Antarctica are rich in microscopic animals
and plants. This abundant plankton is the basis of a rich and
complex marine food chain that includes tiny shimp called krill,
many kinds of fish, seabirds such as penguins and skuas, and
marine mammals like seals and whales. In summer, 8 different
species of whales come to Antarctica to feed.
 http://www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/habitats/polar_regions/animal_life/index.cfm
 http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/tundra/index.htm
Animals in Polar region
Animals and Environment
Environment and Animals’ Features
 Animals’ Skins
 Animals’ Skin Colours
 Animals’ Hunting Tools – Types of Food
 Animals’ Movement
Animals’ Skins/Coverings
 Cold Region – Skins/Fur/Feathers to keep
warm
 Dry Region – Scales and Shells to reduce
Moisture loss
Animals’ Skins/Coverings
Vertebrate Skin Coverings
It is possible to classify (group) vertebrate animals into 5
groups based on easily observed features like parts of the
body, skin covering, or birth of their young. One of the
easiest features to observe is the skin covering of the
animal:
 fish are covered with wet scales
 amphibians have naked skins
 reptiles are covered with dry scales
 birds have a body covering of feathers
 mammals have a covering of hair (fur)
(Vertebrates possess an internal skeleton made up of
bones and, in particular, they have a backbone or spine
made up of a series of bones called vertebrae.)
Fish Scales Amphibian Skin
Reptile Scales Bird
Feathers
Hairs/Furs
Animals’ Skin Colours/Patterns
 http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/animal-
camouflage-pictures.htm
 http://www.howstuffworks.com/animal-camouflage.htm
 To hide themselves (Camouflage/mimicry)
 http://www.alleghany.k12.va.us/animal%20adaptation%20
webpage/animal_mimicry.htm
 Camouflage – Blending into the background
 Mimicry – Pretending to be something else
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygh1-ul6E94

 Animals use both ways to protect themselves from predator

or to hide themselves from their prey
Animals’ Skin Colours/Patterns
 Brightly coloured skins to warn/frighten
predators
Animals’ Skin Colours/Patterns
 Blue-ringed Octopus

 Coral Snake
Animals’ Skin Colours/Patterns
 Foaming grasshopper
 Antimachus Swallowtail
Animals’ Hunting Tools
 What are the features that an animal need to hunt other animals?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j9lE2p_7FY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=15x4twkEVak&feature=PlayList&p=E7A4CEFFD8AB12B2&playnext_from=PL&playnex
t=1&index=16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp9YKEO9e1w

Movement Fine Senses Weapon

Fly/Swim/Run Can Sharp claws/teeth

very fast see/hear/feel Strong grip/jaws
Climb very well very well Poison sting/bite
Good camouflage
What are Animal Adaptations?
 features that help it "fit in" with its
surroundings
 features that will ensure the survival, of
the animals in its’ surroundings, animals
who can't adapt die!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciu9xFTvELQ
Physical Adaptation
 Physical adaptations help animals get food and
water or protect themselves.  Some of these
adaptations are:
 Being able to move very quickly
 Having strong claws
 Having sharp teeth
 Having long, curved beaks
 Having keen eyesight
 Having the ability to trap prey
 (See above slide: Animals’ Hunting Tools)
 Physical adaptations do not develop during an
animal's life but over many generations.
Behavioral Adaptations
 Animals also adapt to their environments
through behaviors or actions.
 Having a special appearance
 Migrating, or moving to a new place to live
 Hibernating, or going into a deep sleep for
a long time
 Learning to hunt for food


http://widgeon.com/Wilson/Grade4/Definition.html
Evolution of Animals
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=faRlFsYmkeY&feature=related
 Bird evolution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=A5kzxOtvCjc&feature=related
 Elephant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=utNxHs6ghSw&feature=related
 Whale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2C-
3PjNGok&feature=related
Adaptation Activities and Games
 Ecokids Animal Adaptations Game
http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topic
s/climate/adaptations/index.cfm
 How Animals Meet Their Needs
http://
www.harcourtschool.com/activity/animaln
eeds
/
 Charles Darwin
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/ex
plorations/adaptation/