PAWS Academy: What is a habitat?
July 7, 2020
Written by Madi Cook, PAWS Education Intern
Week Two of the Wildlife Series!
The second wildlife series video contains the definition of a habitat, some examples of habitats, and how animals and plants adapt to their habitat over time.
What is a Habitat?
A habitat is the place where an animal or plant lives. Habitat can be found almost everywhere as plants and animals cover the Earth. Each type is characterized by a different climate which then influences what animals and plants live there. Climate can be thought of as the weather of a place over a long period. Basically, it is the average temperature, wind, humidity, snow, and rain that a place experiences over time. Hotter and drier climates, like in the desert, give animals and plants that can go without water an advantage whereas colder climates, like on a mountain, are habitat for other animals and plants. Habitats can be classified in two main groups: land and water.
Land habitat includes many types of environments like rainforest, deserts, mountains, grasslands, and tundra.
Water habitat includes fresh and saltwater habitats. Streams, rivers, swamps, marshes, ponds and lakes are examples of freshwater habitats while oceans, seas, salt lakes, salt marshes, and saltwater swamps are examples of saltwater habitats.
Wild animals can also have habitat that includes both land and water!
Different Habitat, Different Animals and Plants
Wild animals rely on habitat to fulfill their basic needs. Different animals and plants are found in different habitats because they adapt to be able to live there over many thousands of years. Specific traits and relationships with other animals and plants in the habitat allow them to survive in their habitat. Animals and plants adapt which allows them to become more efficient at staying safe, finding food and water, reproducing, competing with others and anything else that increases their chance of survival or fitness. Wild animals that live in cold habitat may have thicker coats of fur or larger body sizes to keep warm. Or plants in shady habitats may have larger and thinner leaves to capture more sunlight. For instance, the short legs and webbed feet of North American river otters help them swim fast in their river habitat. The variety of animals and plants on Earth reflect the variety of environments.
Washington State Habitats
Rainforests, forests, mountains, grasslands, deserts, freshwater and saltwater habitats are all in Washington State. In western Washington, where the Pacific Ocean meets the land and just inland you can find the Olympic Rainforest there is coastal habitat. On the Cascade Mountains there is forest and mountain habitats. East of the Cascades, the climate is drier and hotter which results in grassland and desert habitats.
Habitats do not have to be natural areas. Many wild animals coexist with us in built environments like parks, cities, and suburbs. For instance, Virginia Opossums are very common in western Washington neighborhoods, but they are nocturnal so you may be unaware of their presence. They scavenge for uneaten food, bugs, ants, ticks, grubs, and roadkill which helps keep our neighborhoods clean. Peregrine Falcons is another species that coexists with humans in big cities. They have adapted to nest on skyscrapers and are able live in a habitat with potentially less competition and predation than in their natural habitat. In downtown Seattle, there is a nest on the second-tallest building, at an astonishing 55 stories high.
The Importance of Habitat
Wild animals and plants require adequate habitat to survive. Learning about habitats is necessary to care for all life on Earth. While animals and plants can be threatened or endangered, habitat types can be too. In Washington State, the shrub-steppe habitat is endangered, as only an estimated 15% of it remains. Endangered habitat leads to endangered and threatened animals and plants. The Pygmy Rabbit depends on shrub-steppe habitat for characteristics like dense, large sagebrush stands and gentle slopes for their burrows. Losing habitat means losing animals and plants because specific types of environments, animals and plants are intertwined.
This Week’s Activities
Visit paws.org/PAWSAcademy and you will find two sets of activities at different difficulty levels along with a word search and coloring sheet all about this week’s topic! Test your understanding of habitats and have fun by completing this week’s activities.
Continue To Learn With Us!
If you missed last week’s episode on wild animals or are unaware of our pet series, you can learn more at paws.org/PAWSAcademy. Check back next Wednesday to explore who your own wild neighbors are in the third episode of PAWS Academy wildlife series and continue to discover how you can make a difference in animals’ lives!
If you have any questions or suggestions you can reach us at [email protected].