What comes to mind when you hear the word habitat? Think of your home – the place where you sleep, eat, play, and spend time with loved ones. A habitat is the home of a specific animal or plant. Just like your own home, a habitat provides everything that the animal or plant needs to survive. This includes water, food, shelter, and space. And protection from predators, harsh weather, and other natural threats.

A habit also includes multiple plants and animals that work together as a community. The species (or types) of animals and plants in a specific community depend on what type of habitat the community is in. Habitats are made of biotic and abiotic factors. Biotic factors are living things including plants and animals. Abiotic factors are nonliving things including water, soil, rocks and minerals. The factors included in a habitat differ depending on the type of habitat it is. Habitats exist both on land and in water.

Adaptation

Plants and animals have specific characteristics (adaptations) that help them to survive in their specific habitat. These characteristics can be either behavioral or physical. For example, sloths move slowly making it difficult to detect them. This behavioral characteristic protects them from predators. A good example of a physical characteristic is a birds beak. The shape and size of a birds beak is related to what the bird eats.

Check back regularly as I add information about each habitat.