WORLD HABITATS

 "THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF THE KNOWLEDGE"

                             Proverbs 1:7

WORLD HABITATS:

                               Animals and plants survive in an immense variety of habits, from the frozen Arctic to tropical rainforest near the equator.

                    

POLAR REGIONS:

                             The areas are immediately around the north and South Poles are frozen deserts, but move a little further out and plenty of animals live with the ice. 

                          

COOL FORESTS:

                             Parts of the world have seasons: spring,  autumn, summer, and winter. It is an environment in which broadleaved, or deciduous, trees flourish.

                     

RAIN FOREST:

                         In the areas of land near the equator, it is hot and humid. This is where you will find the tropical rain forest, full of colourfull plants and animals. 

               

GRASS LANDS:

                          There are about 10,800 species of grass. Huge areas of grasslands attract grass-eating animals, which attract predators such as lions and cheetahs.

                 

DESERTS:

                  One- seventh of all land is desert. At first sight a desert may seem barren, but desert plants and animals have some surprising ways of surviving.

                 

MOUNTAINS AND CAVES:

                           Mountains cover five per cent of all land. Plants and animals living on a mountain have to cope with less oxygen, severe cold, and strong winds. 

               

FRESH WATER:

                     The world is full of fresh water lakes, rivers, and streams, all fed by rainwater. These habitats attract all sorts of insects, animals, and plants. 

               

OCEANS:

               Earth is largely made up of oceans. Animals and some plants flourish in this salty world. Most sea life is found in shallow water and around coral reefs. 

               

TOWNS AND CITIES:

                        From mosses growing in brick walls to rats rooting through our rubbish, many plants and animals have settled in our towns and cities.

                 

What is a habitat?

             A habitat is the place or environment where particular organisms live. 

Towns and Cities

' THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF THE KNOWLEDGE '

                             Proverbs 1:7

TOWNS AND CITIES:

                                Nature always manages to find its way into our towns and cities. In fact, left alone it can quickly take over. Night time satellite images show many of the world cities - but only those where electricity is widely used. 

                    

ANIMALS:

                   Wild animals such as the red fox have quickly learnt to live along side human beings. They know we throw away tasty things. 

                        

BIRDS:

             Many people leave food out for birds. Some like seagulls have become pests brave enough to snatch food from a hand and leaving droppings in return. Gulls are commonly seen in both on coasts and inland. 

                         

CITY LIFE:

                  If you live in a city,  it may look barren of wildlife, but birds, insects, and larger animals will be all around.

                  

PLANTS:

                Concrete and heavy paving slabs are no barrier to plants however tiny. A small plant does no damage, but as it gets larger, it's roots will push up paved areas. 

                          

THE MIGHTY HIMALAYAS

               "THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF THE KNOWLEDGE"

                                                                                 Proverbs 1:7

THE HIMALAYAS:

                                The Himalayas are the world’s highest range of mountains. They stretch 2,500 km (1,550 miles) across Asia. The world’s tallest mountain, mount Everest, stands in the midst of the Himalayas.

                                      

 

 SNOW LEOPARD:

                                         The snow leopard is probably the world’s most rare and elusive cat. It lives high on mountains, including those of the Himalayas, far from human habitation.

                                          

 

MOON WALK:

                            Another Himalayan inhabitant is the black bear. This bear has a crescent-shaped white mark on its chest, resulting in its other name: moon bear.

                                         

RED PANDA:

                       The lesser panda is more closely related to the raccoon than it is to the giant panda. It lives in high bamboo forests, eating leaves, roots, fruits, and shoots.

                                      

 

POISON FLOWERS:

                                   Rhododendrons from eerie thickets in the Himalayas. Their gigantic flowers are beautiful, but toxic. Local bees collect the nectar to make a kind of honey that is poisonous to humans.

                                             

 

TALONS READY!

                            The mighty golden eagle has a wingspan of more than 2.3 m (7 ft). A tasty pika would make a nice snack.

                                           

 

ROCK BUNNY:

                            Pikas are small furry animals related to rabbits, though it’s hard to spot a pikas tail! This one lives in mountain meadows and is well-adapted to cold weather.

                                           

 

                                               How high is mount Everest?

                                                   It is 8,850 m (29,035 ft).

MARINE MAMMALS

                 " THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF THE KNOWLEDGE"

                                                                   Proverbs 1:7

 MARINE MAMMALS:

                                     Mammals are warm blooded, have lungs not gills, breathe air, and suckle their young. Human beings are mammals. So are whales, dolphins, and porpoises. As a group, these are the cetaceans.

SPERM WHALE:

Some whales have teeth, and the largest toothed whale of all is the sperm whale. They spend their days diving deep in search of giant squid. A sperm whale’s teeth can grow up to 20 cm (8 inch) in length.      

                                           

                           

BALEEN WHALES:

                               

Baleen whales like the humpback have fringed brushes called baleen plates that grow in rows from their top jaw. They filter food with these baleen plates. Baleen plates are used to filter tiny shrimp like creatures from water

                                                       

DOLPHINS:

                                          

Dolphins live in groups called schools. A school can contain 1,000 dolphins. Dolphins need to eat at least 10 kg (22 lbs) of fish each day, swallowing them whole. When hungry, they will “herd” a shoal of fish together at the sea’s surface before picking the fish off. Like all cetaceans a dolphin’s blowhole is on top of its head.

 

ECHOLOCATION:

                                

The thick pad, or melon, on the top of a dolphin’s head helps to produce clicks.Dolphins talk to each other with clicks. The clicks also help a dolphin to find its prey. How? Because the noise bounces off objects in the water. It’s called echolocation.

 

PORPOISES:

                       Porpoises are smaller than dolphins. Ther are six species.

     

Spectacled porpoises:

                                 

                      Spectacled porpoises look as though they are wearing white spectacles.

 

Dall’s porpoise:

                             

                  Dall’s porpoise is the largest porpoise, growing up to 2.4 m (7 ft 9 in)

 

Finless porpoises:

                                 

        Finless porpoises are the only ones that lack a dorsal (top) fin.

 

Harbour porpoises:

                                   

                         Harbour porpoises can often be spotted in shallow water, near harbours.

 

Vaquitas:

                             

            Vaquitas are the smallest of the porpoises, at just 1.5 m (4 ft) in length.

 

Burmeister’s porpoises:

                                        
                     Burmeister’s porpoise has a dark colouring, and a low dorsal fin.

 

 

 Can cetaceans breathe under water in the same way as fish?

                                    No. Cetaceans have lungs, not gills, and must come to the surface to breathe.