Exploring Ecosystems
Name ______________________________
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Living Environment - Vocabulary
adapt
to change so as to fit a new situation, adjust behavior for survival
carnivore
a flesh-eating animal, a meat eating mammal or a plant that eats insects
cells
the smallest units of living things – cells make tissues, tissues make organs, organs
make organ systems
consumer
organisms that cannot make their own food, so they must eat plants and/or other
animals. They are called consumers. Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.
decomposer
organisms that get their energy by breaking down and feeding on dead organisms
ex. Earthworms, some bacteria, mushrooms, fungi
ecosystem
a community of living things and their nonliving environment, including land, air, and
water
food chain
shows how energy moves from a producer to one or more consumers and then to a
decomposer
food web
two or more connected food chains form a food web
hibernate
to pass the winter in an inactive or resting state
habitat
the natural environment of a plant or animal
herbivore
an animal that feeds on plants
omnivore
an animal that eats a diet of both plants and animals
organism
living thing
photosynthesis
The process by which plants use sunlight energy to make food.
population
a group of organisms of the same kind that live in a certain area
predator
an animal that eats the flesh of others; the hunter
prey
the object of the hunt; the victim or quarry
producers
Organisms that make their own food; plants are called producers because they are able
to use light energy from the Sun to produce food (sugar) from carbon dioxide and
water. (plants, algae, and certain bacteria)
vertebrate
animals with a backbone
conservation
the preservation of a resource, especially natural resources such as soil, water, or
forests from loss, pollution or waste.
warm-blooded
animals that maintain their body temperature regardless of the surrounding
temperature
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Energy for Living Things
Food provides the building materials for all living things. Food is also fuel that provides energy. All
living things need energy to carry out the processes of life. Living things get energy by breaking down
food. Green plants use the Sun’s energy to make their own food. This process is important not just to
plants, but to almost all living things.
Photosynthesis
The process by which plants use sunlight to make food is called photosynthesis. In photosynthesis,
plants change light energy into chemical energy.
Living things, also called organisms, are made of small parts that work together. The smallest units of
all living things are very small parts called cells. Most plant cells contain tiny structures called
chloroplasts. You can think of chloroplasts as food factories. Sunlight is the energy that runs the
factories.
But factories need more than just energy. They also need raw materials. In the case of chloroplasts, the
raw materials are water and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a gas you give off when you breathe
out. Plants take in water from the soil through their roots. They take in carbon dioxide through small
openings on the underside of each leaf. These openings are called stomata.
Inside the leaves, water and carbon dioxide move to the chloroplasts. Each chloroplast contains a green
material that traps the Sun’s energy. This chemical is called chlorophyll.
Inside the chloroplasts, light energy breaks down the water and carbon dioxide. Then the parts of these
substances join together in a new way. The result is an energy-rich sugar called glucose. Plants store
and use glucose as food. They release oxygen into the air as waste. Glucose and oxygen are the
products of photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis
Water + Carbon dioxide + Sunlight ￫ Glucose + Oxygen
http://www.brainpop.com/search/results.weml?keyword=photosynthesis
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Energy for All Living Things
http://www.brainpop.com/science/cellularlifeandgenetics/ (photosynthesis)
Plants are called producers because they produce, or make, their own food. They store the energy of
the Sun for themselves and for other living things. Algae and some bacteria are also producers.
Did you know? Some organisms that live near vents on the ocean floor make their
own food without sunlight. They get energy from chemicals that come out of the
vents. Their process of making food is called chemosynthesis.
Animals cannot make their own food. Animal cells do not have chloroplasts. Animals must get their
energy from other organisms. Animals are called consumers because they eat other living things to get
energy.
Almost all life on Earth depends on producers. The energy they store is passed on to animals that eat
plants. That energy is then passed along to other animals.
Plants also give off oxygen that humans and all other animals need. Plants take in carbon dioxide and
release oxygen into the air. When animals breathe, they take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
Photosynthesis
1. What is the process called when plants produce food? __________________________
2. What energy is the leaf taking in? _________________________________
3. Name the two products that plants produce during photosynthesis:
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
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Getting Energy from Food
You know that all living things need energy, and the Sun is the ultimate source. The cells that make up
all living things use this energy to carry out life processes. The energy that cells need is stored in food,
but how do cells release the stored energy so they can use it?
Cells
Cells are the smallest units of living things. Most cells are too small to be seen without a microscope.
There are many different types of cells. The pictures below show just a few examples.
Cells may look very different from each other, but all cells do some of the same things. All cells grow
and divide. All cells take in water and nutrients and get rid of wastes. A nutrient is a substance that a
living thing needs in order to stay alive and grow.
Food for Cells
The energy that living things use comes from food. Plants and some other organisms make their own
food. Recall that the process in which producers, plants, make their own food is called photosynthesis.
Glucose is a sugar that plant cells store as food. Other living things must eat plants or other organisms
for food. These consumers break the food down into small pieces inside their bodies. The process of
digestion changes parts of the food into sugars or other nutrients that cells can use.
Cellular Respiration
Cells of all different kinds of living things carry out the same process to get energy from their food.
This process of getting energy from food is called cellular respiration.
Cells need certain materials to carry out cellular respiration. They need nutrients such as glucose. They
also need oxygen. In fact, that is why you breathe oxygen into your body. Inside cells, oxygen and
glucose are broken down and changed into a substance that cells use for energy. This substance is
called ATP. Cells use ATP for energy to grow and divide. They release carbon dioxide and water as
waste.
Cellular Respiration
Glucose + Oxygen ￫ ATP + Carbon dioxide + Water
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Some kinds of cells use more energy than other kinds. Cells that need more energy carry out
more cellular respiration, but all cells use this process to get the energy they need for life. It may
surprise you that this process is the same in plant cells as in the cells in your body. Plants make their
own food, but they use food in the same way that animals do.
Comparing Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
Notice that cellular respiration is the opposite of photosynthesis. Cellular respiration starts with
glucose and oxygen and produces carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and
water to produce glucose and oxygen
Plants carry out both photosynthesis and cellular respiration, but they release mainly oxygen into the
air. Plants use carbon dioxide to store extra energy. Animals take in oxygen and release mainly carbon
dioxide.
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The Flow of Energy in Ecosystems
You know that all living things need food. Food supplies the materials for building and repairing
organisms. Food also supplies energy for all the processes of life. Organisms can be grouped by the
way in which they get energy. The need for energy connects all the organisms in an ecosystem. An
ecosystem is a community of living things and their nonliving environment, including land, air, and
water.
Producers
An organism that is able to make its own food is a producer. Plants, algae, and certain bacteria are
producers. You learned that producers use the energy of sunlight to make a sugar called glucose.
Glucose is food for the producers. It contains stored energy that came from the Sun. Producers use
some of this energy, but they store the rest in their cells.
Consumers
http://www.brainpop.com/science/diversityoflife/
(birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, etc.)
Animals cannot make their own food. They are consumers. A consumer is an organism that eats other
organisms to get energy. There are three main types of consumers:
 Consumers that eat plants are called herbivores.
Mice, rabbits, and many insects are herbivores.
 Consumers that almost always eat animals are called carnivores.
Carnivores include cats, foxes, and other animals that live on a meaty diet.
 Consumers that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores.
Many animals, such as bears, raccoons, opossums, and humans are omnivores.
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Decomposers
Decomposers get energy by breaking down and feeding on dead organisms. Decomposers also feed
on the wastes of other living things. Mushrooms and other fungi are decomposers. So are many
bacteria. Some animals, including earthworms and termites are decomposers.
Did you know? Tiny bubbles that come up from the bottom of ponds are
bubbles of a gas called methane. This gas is given off as a waste product by
decomposer bacteria that live in the mud on the pond bottom.
Decomposers play a very important role in any ecosystem. They cause dead organisms to decay, or
rot. Without decomposers, Earth would soon be covered with dead plants and animals.
Decomposers also release nutrients from dead organisms and wastes back into the soil. Then plants
use these nutrients again to live and grow. Decomposers are nature’s recyclers.
Food Chains and Food Webs
Every living thing needs other living things in order to meet some of its needs. Producers depend
on consumers and decomposers for carbon dioxide and some nutrients. Consumers depend on
producers for oxygen, energy, and nutrients. Decomposers need producers and consumers.
In nature, energy moves from one living thing to another. You can display this flow of energy by
using a food chain. A food chain shows how energy moves from a producer to one or more
consumers and then to a decomposer.
Each arrow on the food chain shows where the energy goes. You can read each arrow as the words
“provides energy for.” The grass provides energy for the mouse. The mouse provides energy for
the snake. You can see how this continues.
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Most organisms do not get their energy from just one kind of food. For example, you must eat
many different foods to stay healthy. Most living things are part of many different food chains at
the same time. Two or more connected food chains form a food web.
Here is an example. How many food chains can you trace in the food web? Follow the flow of
energy from producers to consumers to decomposers.
http://www.brainpop.com/search/results.weml?keyword=food+web (Food Chains)
Competing for Resources
All living things need certain things to stay alive. These things include food, water, space, and
other resources. But in any ecosystem, resources are limited.
What is a Population?
A population is a group of organisms of the same kind that live in a certain area. Think of lions
living in a certain part of the grassland in Africa. All of the lions living in that area make up a
population. That population of lions uses resources such as food and water. The lions get the
resources they need from the area in which they live.
Limited Resources
The grassland has everything that the lions need. So you might think that the size of the lion
population would keep getting bigger. Why are there not millions of lions living in the grassland?
The answer is that food and other resources are limited.
Limiting factors are conditions that keep a population from growing past a certain size. Limiting
factors include amounts of water, food, space, and other resources. For example, lions eat gazelles.
Lions are predators – animals that hunt other animals for food. The animals they hunt and eat are
their prey. The supply of gazelles and other prey animals is a limiting factor for lions. There are
only enough prey animals to feed a certain number of lions.
In the same way, gazelles are herbivores that eat grasses. The amount of grass growing in the area
is a limiting factor for the populations of animals like gazelles. Limiting factors affect plants as
well. For example, the amount of rainfall is a limiting factor for plants that live in the grassland.
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Competition
The lions, gazelles, and grasses are all part of the same community. A community includes all the
populations of organisms living in a certain area.
In a community, organisms with similar needs are in competition with each other for resources.
Competition is the demand for a limited resource by two or more organisms. The lions compete
with each other for gazelles and other prey. The gazelles compete with each other for grass. They
also compete with other herbivores, such as zebras. The grasses compete with other plants for
water.
Changing Populations
Perhaps a population of 50 lions can find enough food and other resources in the grassland area.
That does not mean that 50 lions will always live there. Populations shrink and grow over time.
Their sizes depend on the supply of resources.
Suppose there is a drought in the grassland where the lions live. A drought is a long period with
little or no rainfall. Without rain, not much grass can grow. The population of gazelles gets smaller
because they do not have much grass to eat. Some animals die. Others leave the area to look for
food and water. With fewer gazelles to hunt, the lion population also gets smaller.
When the drought ends, these populations are likely to get bigger again. More grass will grow. The
gazelles will have more food and water, so more will survive. With more water and prey animals,
more lions will survive as well. Some animals may come back to the area when there are more
resources.
A drought is a natural event. Many other natural factors can cause changes in populations.
Earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and diseases are just some of these factors. People also cause
populations to change. When people cut down trees or dump chemicals into rivers and streams, the
supply of resources for living things gets smaller. Populations of plants and animals get smaller or
even disappear. Sometimes these changes happen very quickly.
Understanding Ecosystems
http://www.brainpop.com/search/results.weml?keyword=ecosystem (ecosystems)
An ecosystem is a community of living things and their nonliving environment. Ecosystems can be
large or small. For example, a forest is an ecosystem. Many plants and animals live in the forest. A
fallen tree in the forest is also an ecosystem. It has lichens and mosses growing on it. Small animals
and insects live inside the fallen tree. But large or small, all ecosystems meet the needs of the
organisms that live there.
Parts of an Ecosystem
An ecosystem has both living and nonliving parts. The living parts include plants, animals, and all
the other organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, which live in the ecosystem. The nonliving parts
include rocks and minerals, soil, water, and air. Conditions such as temperature, amount of rainfall,
and amount of sunlight are also nonliving parts of an ecosystem. All the parts work together to
keep the ecosystem in balance.
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Each ecosystem is made up of many habitats. A habitat is the place where an organism lives. An
organism’s habitat contains everything that the organism needs in order to survive. Different kinds
of organisms need different habitats. A rotting log would not be a nice place for you to live. But
that log might be a perfect habitat for an insect.
Kinds of Ecosystems
Earth has many different kinds of ecosystems. An ecosystem in a warm, wet rainforest is very
different from an ecosystem in a cold, dry desert. An ecosystem in salty ocean water is different
from one in a freshwater lake. Different kinds of organisms live in different kinds of ecosystems. In
each ecosystem, the organisms find the food, water, shelter, and other conditions that they need.
A Forest Ecosystem
An example of a large ecosystem is a deciduous forest. In a deciduous forest, most of the trees lose
their leaves each fall. Each part of the forest gives certain plants, animals, and other organisms
what they need. Each organism has a habitat in the ecosystem. The picture below shows some of
the organisms that have habitats in a deciduous forest.
On the ground, leaf litter and fallen twigs and branches are food for decomposers – fungi, bacteria,
and earthworms. Fallen leaves and branches also provide shelter for millipedes, centipedes, and
salamanders. Decomposing leaves add nutrients to the soil. The nutrients help trees and other
plants grow. The trees shade the forest floor, keeping the soil moist and cool. Low light and rich,
moist soils are ideal growing conditions for ferns, mosses, and other woodland plants.
The nuts and berries of many trees are food for birds and small mammals, such as chipmunks and
squirrels. Many birds build nests from twigs, mosses, and leaves. Other birds and small mammals
find shelter in hollow tree trunks.
Larger mammals also live in the forest. Deer find shelter among the trees. The deer eat twigs, bark,
and other plant parts. Foxes hunt rabbits, mice, and other small mammals. Bears find plenty of
food, such as berries, nuts, honey, and insects. In winter, bears may sleep in hollow logs.
Rain collects in streams and ponds. It also soaks into the spongy leaf litter. So animals and other
organisms in the forest get the water they need.
As long as the forest ecosystem stays in balance, all of the organisms that live in it can meet their
needs. But ecosystems can change…
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/ (autumn leaves)
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Humans and Environmental Change
Like all living things, people need resources. We need food, water, and shelter. We need space to
build homes. We need heat and light. We need materials to make things. In meeting our needs, we
affect everything around us.
Habitat Reduction
Human activities affect natural habitats in many ways. Think about a herd of deer living in a forest.
The forest provides the deer with everything they need to stay alive. Then people clear the land to
build new homes and other buildings. The deer have a smaller area in which to live.
Deforestation is the clearing of forest lands for human use. People use trees for lumber, paper,
and other products. After a forest is cut down, the area cannot support as many organisms as it did
before. Trees may grow back, but it will take many years for the area to become a forest again.
Meanwhile, the kinds of plants and animals that find homes in the forest will not be the same kinds
that lived in the forest previously. If people use the land, the forest may be gone forever.
People change natural habitats into farmland and dig mines to get minerals out of the ground. All
these activities make habitats smaller or cause them to disappear.
Using land for building, mining, or farming is land development. When people develop land, they
remove resources. People sometimes remove soil, leaving few nutrients for plants. Some animals
die. Others leave to look for food and shelter.
Pollution
People burn fuels such as coal and gas to get energy. Burning these fuels puts harmful materials
into the air. Factories often release chemicals into the air and water. Farmers use chemicals that run
off into streams. People produce trash that ends up buried in the ground. All these things are forms
of pollution. Pollution is the release of a harmful substance, or pollutant, into the environment.
Pollution affects all the living things that come in contact with it. It can damage ecosystems. In
some areas, pollution has harmed the soil and water so much that it is hard for plants and animals
to live there. The picture below shows how pollutants from cities, factories, and farms can build up
in water.
Did You Know? New York’s state bird is the eastern bluebird. In the 1900’s, eastern
bluebirds became scarce because human activities destroyed their habitats. Then people began
putting out nesting boxes for the birds. Today, the number of eastern bluebirds in growing.
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Changing Earth’s Atmosphere
People burn coal, oil, and natural gas to heat their homes, make electrical energy, and run factories.
The gasoline we use in cars, trucks, and buses is also made from oil. Burning these fuels puts
carbon dioxide into the air. Plants cannot use all this extra carbon dioxide, so it stays in Earth’s
atmosphere. The atmosphere is the blanket of air and dust that surrounds Earth.
Many scientists believe that too much carbon dioxide is making Earth warmer. Warming the
atmosphere may cause storms, floods, and droughts. Global warming may change climates and
ecosystems all over the planet. Certain plants and animals may not be able to survive where they
live now.
People Need a Healthy Environment
Changes in the environment affect people, too. We need space to build shelters, grow food, and
play. We need clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. We also use water to wash, clean,
cook, make products, fight fires, and water crops. For fun, people swim and boat in water.
People use many different animals and plants for food. Plants also provide materials for homes,
furniture, clothing, and many other products.
Ways to Protect the Environment
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/ (Humans and the Environment)
Human activities will always affect the environment, but there are many ways we can protect it.
We can reduce air pollution by burning less coal, oil, and natural gas, we can use wind power,
water power, and solar power to meet some of our energy needs.
Land developers can take special care when they build near streams and wetlands. Developers can
also take care not to harm woodlands and other habitats.
People can use selective harvesting instead of cutting down whole forests. Selective harvesting
means choosing individual trees or small groups of trees to cut. This method can preserve a forest
ecosystem, instead of destroying it.
You can help, too. For example, you can help your community recycle items such as newspapers,
cans, and bottles. The recycle means to use a material again to make a new product. Recycling
helps reduce trash and pollution. Recycling also saves trees and other resources.
Did You Know? People throw away billions of plastic containers
each year. Scientists estimate that a common plastic container buried in
a landfill may not break down for 50,000 years!
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Plant and Animal Interdependency
In nature, when two things depend on each other for their survival, they are called
interdependent. Plants and animals rely on each other for survival. Plants provide all animals,
including humans, with oxygen, food, shelter, medicines and more. Plants rely on animals, for
help in reproduction, seed dispersal, and gas exchange.
Oxygen is what all animals need to breathe, and when they exhale, they release
carbon dioxide into the air. This invisible gas is one of the ingredients that plants use in the
amazing process of photosynthesis, which is how they produce food with energy from the
Sun. As a byproduct, they release oxygen into the air for animals to breathe! The food they
make is stored energy that is passed to plant-eating animals called herbivores and then on
to meat-eating animals called carnivores. Without plants, animals could not get the energy
necessary for survival. Plants also help take moisture from the soil and put it into the air where
it can fall as rain and provide drinking water to animals. In addition, plants serve as shelter for
all sorts of animals, from bugs to people. Many plants also contain powerful medicines that
help us when we are sick. Plants provide ingredients for many products we rely on, such as
cotton, paper, and tea, aspirin from the bark of a willow tree, rubber bands, and so much
more.
Some plants, like fruit trees and flowers, rely on animals to help them make seeds by
moving pollen from one flower to another. These animals, called pollinators, include many
insects, some birds, and even small mammals such as bats and mice! Animals also help bring
plants to new areas by spreading seeds around. Some seeds are dispersed, spread around,
after an animal eats the seeds (inside a piece of fruit) and the seeds pass through its
digestive system. Other kinds of seeds can “stick” to the animal’s fur, and when the animal
moves in its habitat, the seeds get dispersed. Seed dispersal is important because if the seeds
were to develop close to the parent plant, the young plants would not receive enough
sunlight to grow. If plants are too close together they compete for light, water, and minerals.
It is much better if the seeds develop (germinate) in another area.
Do you think plants and animals could survive without each other?
1. What is the most important thing that plants give to people? _______________________
2. How are plants different from animals? They make their own ______________________.
3. What invisible gas is released by animals and used by plants? _______________________
4. What do plants use carbon dioxide for? To make their own ________________________.
5. A process by which a plant produces its food. __________________________________
6. Energy from the _________________, ___________________, ______________________, and
chlorophyll are needed by green plants for photosynthesis.
7. Producers use the Sun’s energy to make their own food. Green _______________________
are producers.
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Mammals
a mini-book
By Melissa Stewart
1. What is a mammal? ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Where do mammals live? _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. You can usually tell what a mammal eats by looking at its _____________________.
4. The first food that any mammal eats is its _______________________________.
5. Why is milk the perfect food for babies? ________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. Why is hair an important adaptation for mammals? _________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
7. Not all mammals are born alive, the Duckbilled Platypus and the Spiny Anteater
_______________________________________________.
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http://www.brainpop.com/science/diversityoflife/ (mammals, birds, fish, etc)
Mammals are vertebrates (backboned animals) that feed their young on mother’s milk. There
are approximately 4,260 species of mammals. When you think of an animal it is likely to be a
mammal. People are mammals. Cats and dogs are mammals. So are such farm animals as
cattle, goats, hogs, and horses. Mammals also include such fascinating animals as
porcupines, gorillas, giraffes, rhinoceroses and kangaroos.
Mammals are found to exist all over the world in all different climates. Mammals such as
chimpanzees and elephants dwell in tropical regions. Arctic foxes, polar bears and many
other mammals make their home near the North Pole. Camels and coyotes live in deserts.
Some mammals even live in the sea such as dolphins, seals and whales. One group of
mammals, the bats, can fly.
These characteristics are common to all mammals:






Mammals nurse their babies. They feed them on the mother’s milk. Mammals have to
eat a lot of food to maintain their high body temperature.
Most mammals give their young more protection and training than do other animals.
Only mammals have hair. All mammals have hair at some time in their life, though in
certain whales it is present only before birth.
Mammals are warm-blooded. Their body temperature remains about the same all
the time, even though the temperature of their surroundings may change. Birds are
also warm-blooded. But, other animal groups such as fish, reptiles and amphibians are
not; they are cold-blooded animals.
Mammals have a larger and more well developed brain than do other animals.
Some mammals, such as chimpanzees, dolphins, and especially human beings, are
highly intelligent.
Mammals are able to move around using limbs.
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Mammals with Bill Nye video
1. They’re big, they’re hairy, they’re warm-blooded…what are they? ___________________________
2. Give a few, 3, examples of mammals: _______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
3. What are the benefits of having hair for a mammal? _____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
4. What does warm-blooded mean? ___________________________________________________
5. If a mammal is outside on a very cold day (20 F), will its body temperature go down? _________
6. Where do mammals get their body heat (what gives them the energy to make their own body heat)?
_________________________________________________________________
7. What do mother mammals feed their babies? ________________________________________
8. Do other kinds of animals, like reptiles, fish or birds, have hair? ___________________
9. Name 2 marine mammals: ________________________________________________________
10. Bears and people are omnivores, what do omnivores eat? _______________________________
11. What does camouflage mean? _____________________________________________________
12. Most mammals give birth to _______________________ young. The Spiny Anteater and the
Platypus are mammals that lay eggs.
13. What are some characteristics of mammals? What makes a mammal, a mammal?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
14. What is the only mammal that can truly fly? ___________________________________
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New York State Mammals
Use books, Internet, your own observations, friends and
family members to list mammals that live in New York State.
1. _______________________________
2. ________________________________
3. _______________________________
4. _______________________________
5. _______________________________
6. ______________________________
7. ______________________________
8. ______________________________
9. ______________________________
10.______________________________
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The
Coyote
The coyote is a carnivorous mammal in the
dog family. Coyotes vary in size depending on
their diet and on their geographical location.
Coyotes also vary in coloration. They may be
brownish gray or rusty tan on their backs and
legs, and usually have lighter fur on their
bellies. The bushy tail is often tipped with black.
A coyote lives by its wits, and has a relatively large brain. Its senses are keen. The
broad upright ears provide the animal with excellent hearing. The yellowish eyes face
forward and give the coyote good binocular vision, which focus simultaneously (at the same
time) on an object, giving the coyote depth and distance perception (awareness) necessary
for hunting. The long nose provides the animal with an acute sense of smell.
Its long slim legs give the coyote both speed and agility (quickness, nimbleness). It
can sprint at 48 km/h (30mph) for short distances when hunting, but can also travel for long
distances at 32 km/h (20 mph). Like many wild animals, the coyote steps in its own
footprints and moves in a straight line whenever possible to conserve energy. Domestic dogs,
by contrast, walk with their feet side by side, and often meander.
Coyotes are very vocal. Their spine-tingling howl is heard mostly at night, and
probably is just an announcement saying “I am here.” The coyote also communicates with
short barks and yelps, and makes soft snuffling and huffing sounds to its pups. Coyotes
communicate with scent, too, and mark their territories with urine and scat (droppings)
placed in noticeable places.
Pups are born in April or May, about six pups in an average litter. Born with eyes and
ears shut, the pups suckle for five to seven weeks. Then, alert and lively, they leave the den
to begin learning to hunt with their parents. Most pups separate from the family group in late
fall when they are about seven months old.
The coyote is also a part of the natural ecosystem and helps to control rodents and
clean up carrion (dead animals). In most cases coyotes avoid human contact, but it is
important to remember that a coyote is a wild animal that only looks like a dog. As such, it is
a smart and dangerous predator with sharp teeth, excellent senses, strength, and speed.
What do coyotes eat? Coyotes are meat eaters (carnivores), and their diets include
small mammals such as mice, rabbits, and squirrels, as well as insects and reptiles. They
hunt individually or in loose packs, so they do not normally bring down larger animals like
deer or sheep, the way wolves can. If they find a dead carcass, they will feed on the leftover
kill. Once in a while, they will eat fruits and berries in season.
Where do coyotes live? Today coyotes range throughout North America. They
continue to expand their range, and are now found even in suburban and urban areas.
Because they are so intelligent, they have been able to adapt to changes brought about by
humans. They learn quickly that garbage and small pets in areas inhabited by humans make
an easy meal.
19
The
Gray Squirrel
Squirrels are herbivorous mammals, members
rodent family which includes chipmunks, rats, and
prairie dogs. There are many different kinds of
squirrels, and depending on where you live, you
may see gray, red, white, or black squirrels. There
are also other types such as rock, ground, and flying
squirrels.
The squirrel has sharp senses. It has good hearing
and a good sense of smell. Its whiskers also work as
sensory organs of touch. It sees well in daylight, but not
as well at night. Therefore, it is active mostly in daylight
hours, year round. Its eyes are placed at the sides of its.
head. This placement gives the squirrel a wide range of vision, which is useful for spotting hungry
predators such as hawks, snakes, foxes, and bobcats. Think about how much time an herbivore spends
eating food each day. Pound for pound, plants do not contain as many nutrients as meat, so herbivores
must spend most of their time grazing with their head down looking for that next clump of grass.
While they are busy eating, it is very useful to have eyes on the side of their head so they can spot
danger if it is near and run for safety.
The acrobatic gray squirrel is well adapted to life in the trees. It has powerful hind legs for
climbing and leaping from branch to branch, and a large bushy tail for balance. Its claws are strong and
curved for gripping the tree. It can even reverse its hind feet so that it can grip the tree while
scampering down headfirst.
Squirrels may nest in tree cavities or they may build a large messy-looking nest of leaves and
twigs high in a treetop. Baby squirrels are born helpless, hairless, and toothless, with eyes and ears
closed. They suckle for about two months. Once they are weaned, they stay with the family group for
only a short time. The mother, who can have two litters a year, will soon be busy with a new family.
Squirrels are very vocal and sometimes quite loud. Their various calls have been described as
chatters, barks, buzzes, purrs, and chucks, to name just a few. They use their voices along with their
tails to tell other squirrels that food is available, to send up an alarm when a predator is near, or to call
to a mate.
People have mixed feelings about squirrels. They can be annoying pests that scare birds from
the feeder and gobble their food. They can chew holes in the side of a house, nip off flower heads, and
make a big racket. On the other hand, they are funny to watch, intelligent and persistent, and graceful
in their amazing treetop acrobatics. Best of all, they are one of the few wild mammals we can observe
and enjoy right in our own backyards.
What do gray squirrels eat? As herbivores, squirrels eat mostly plant parts. In fall and winter,
they eat the nuts and seeds that are available as well as those they have stored or buried. In spring and
summer, they eat buds, flowers, fruits, berries, mushrooms, and once in a while insects. They will
gnaw on bones for the calcium and also to keep their ever-growing front teeth (incisors) worn down.
Where do gray squirrels live? Gray squirrels are found throughout the eastern half of the United
States. They live in forested habitats, but have become well adapted to living in urban and suburban
areas as well. They are not territorial, so they may rove over several acres that overlap with the home
ranges of other squirrels. They form loose social groups, and recognize each other by smell and by
sight.
20
Warm-blooded
http://www.brainpop.com/health/bodysystems/
(homeostasis – warm-blooded)
Humans are warm-blooded animals, so are all other mammals, to a certain extent, and birds.
However warm blood is not really the question, many reptiles have blood far warmer than
ours, but only on hot days.
In fact, blood temperature is merely a reflection of body temperature. The important thing
about mammals and birds is that they maintain a constant internal temperature. Reptiles and
many other animals, particularly most insects live at the temperature of the world around
them – cold when it is cold and hot when it is hot – this is being cold-blooded. Endothermic
means generating heat internally. All mammals are endothermic.
Mammals maintain their inner temperature by burning food (oxidation) through digestion and
they stay cool by sweating, panting and changing postures and place in the world. Sweating
and panting work by generating heat loss through evaporating water; changing posture
allows mammals to control to some extent the heat absorbed from the world around them;
while changing position simply means seeking shade or shelter when it is too hot.
Being warm-blooded gives mammals a distinct advantage in many habitats, allowing them to
be active when reptiles are hardly able to move. It also allows mammals to live in habitats
where reptiles cannot live at all, such as the arctic, mountaintops, etc. The reason behind
this is that muscle activity is basically dependent on chemical reactions, as are all biological
functions. Chemical reactions run slowly when it is cold, but quickly when it is hot. This is
because heat is the same as energy. The more energy you have, the faster the chemical
reaction occurs. In the early mammals being endothermic probably allowed them to be active
at night when competing reptiles were forced to rest or be sluggish.
Only mammals sweat, but not all mammals have the same number of sweat glands. For
instance while primates have sweat glands all over their bodies, cats and dogs only have
them in their feet and golden moles and whales don’t have any.
21
Mammals – Life in Action (video)
1. Name four characteristics of mammals?
_____________________________
______________________________________
_____________________________
______________________________________
2. The word mammal comes from mammary glands. Mammary glands produce
___________________ in female mammals.
3. Give two functions of hair on a mammal:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. Monotremes are mammals that _________________________________________________
5. Marsupials are mammals with a _________________________________________________
6. Most mammals are ____________________________, their babies develop inside the mother until
their bodies reach a certain stage of development.
7. Mammals are nurturers; they __________________________________,
________________________, and teach their young.
8. Name some mammal habitats: _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
9. Mammals are diverse group of animals. Diversity means: __________________________
________________________________________________________________________
10. Herbivores _____________________________________________________
11. Carnivores _____________________________________________________
12. Omnivores _____________________________________________________
22
Tell the Story
Scientists who study mammals, mammalogists, like to say that you can find out just about
everything you need to know about a mammal by looking at its teeth. While that may not be
completely true, you have to admit that you can find out a lot about mammals just by studying their
teeth.
Mammals can be divided into three groups based on their teeth: herbivores, carnivores, and
omnivores. Each group has a very different set of teeth. And each set of teeth is very well suited to
what that group of animals eats.
Let’s look at some common sets of mammal’s teeth. Pay special attention to how many teeth
each animal has, what kind, and how they are arranged.
The Herbivore’s Teeth The plant eaters are nippers and grinders. First, they nip off a
plant, and then they grind it up. Here is a picture of their general mouth plan:
In the front of their mouth, herbivores usually have a few broad incisors to nip off plants. But
some have no incisors, just a tough leathery pad instead. These animals can still eat very well. They
use their tongues to rip off the plants. Then they grind up the plants with their strong molars.
Some herbivores, like cows and deer, are cud chewers. First they bite off a plant with their
incisors. Then they give it a few quick chomps with their molars. This packs down the plants enough
so that the cow can swallow. The food goes into a kind of storage chamber that is a stomach that
does not digest. Later the cow can bring the food, or the cud, back up. Now the cow uses its big, flat
molars to grind up the plants very well. This time when the cow swallows, the food goes into the
digestive tract.
Grasses and leaves do not contain many nutrients and they are tough and hard to digest. In
order to get enough nourishment, herbivores must spend most of their time just grazing, chewing,
and digesting.
23
A meat eater’s mouth, a carnivore’s, is full of sharp edges, like the one in the picture below.
Carnivores are predators, like lions, tigers, wolves, killer whales, and coyotes. They have large,
sharp canine teeth. They use the canines for grabbing and holding onto their prey. The canine teeth
also work like daggers to help kill the prey too. The carnivore’s incisors are usually small and not very
strong.
Behind the canines is a ridge of sharp slicing teeth called premolars. They work like scissors.
Carnivores need premolars for cutting and tearing chunks of flesh off their prey. In the back of a
carnivore’s mouth are the molars for chewing and grinding. With the help of powerful jaw muscles, the
big molars can even break up and grind bones.
If they both ate the same amount of food, the carnivore would get much more energy from the
meat than the herbivore got from the plants. A small amount of meat gives the carnivore a lot of energy
and nutrients. Meat is also easier to digest than plants, so carnivores don’t need to spend a lot of time
chewing it. In fact, they often gulp their food in chunks.
Carnivores are hunters in the wild, so they eat only when the hunting is successful. This might
mean that they have to go a long time between meals. In addition, even though meat gives them a lot of
energy, they have to use up a lot of energy hunting and chasing it down.
The lucky omnivore has teeth to do just about any job. They have incisors, canines, premolars,
and molars. They can eat whatever is available whenever they can find it. If fresh fruits and greens are
in season, omnivores have the nippers and grinders to eat them. If they find meat, they have the
grabbers, stabbers, slicers, and grinders to do the work.
Many omnivores, like humans, enjoy a wide variety of foods, both meat and vegetable.
Although they may like one kind more than others, their teeth do not limit their choices of what to eat.
24
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/
(camouflage, hibernation, migration)
Animals of all shapes and sizes inhabit the Earth’s land, air, and water, and each of
these creatures has special features that help it survive where it lives. What if beavers didn’t
have webbed feet? Would they still be able to spend large amounts of time in the water
building their lodge and repairing their dam? What if arctic foxes were black instead of white
in the winter? Their dark fur would stand out against the Arctic snow; both predators and prey
would be able to spot them from far away.
Beavers and arctic foxes have special adaptations. These are special traits, or
characteristics, that allow an animal to live in its environment. The variety of adaptations in
nature is as large as the variety of animals themselves. These adaptations develop over many
years and get passed on from parents to their offspring. These traits are not learned, they are
inherited.
There are many different types of adaptations for getting food. Some creatures have
sharp teeth (canines and premolars) and claws that they use to eat meat, while other
animals have flat teeth called molars for grinding and chewing plants. Bats are nocturnal,
they are active at night. Bats have a special hearing system called echolocation to find food
in the dark. Bird beaks come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on what kind of food
the bird eats. A giraffe’s long neck allows it to reach the leaves high in a tree and enable it to
spot a hungry lion prowling in the bushes nearby. Special body parts are useful adaptations
that help each animal survive in their habitat.
Animals have many different adaptations for protection, for movement, for finding a
mate, and for caring for their young. Male turkeys have large colored tail feathers that they
can fan out in a spectacular display to encourage the female to mate with them. The
females are not so colorful; this helps them to blend into their surroundings so that they can
protect their eggs and their young. Penguins have a layer of fat to block out cold and keep
in body heat. Their black coloring on their backs absorbs the Sun’s heat to protect them from
the cold Antarctic air. These adaptations protect the penguin so it can survive in such a
harsh environment.
Even though some animals have not changed for millions of years, animals never
become totally adapted because the environment is constantly changing. Some changes
are helpful to certain animals and harmful to others. If the environment changes too quickly,
animals may not be able to adapt and can die out completely. This is called extinction.
Animals have special traits that help them survive. Some adaptations are for
protection. Others are for finding food. Some adaptations allow animals to live in extreme
environments. Yet all adaptations have the same purpose. That purpose is the survival of the
individual animal and of the species.
Quills for protection
Webbed feet
for swimming
Bright colors to
attract a mate
Long legs for running
after prey
25
All About Animal Adaptations (video)
1. A change in an animal’s body structure or a change in the animal’s behavior to help the animal
survive where it lives is called an __________________________________________
2. The place where an animal lives is called its ________________________________________
3. How does an animal’s environment help it survive? __________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. There are many adaptations for getting food.
Carnivores have ______________________ teeth and claws that they use to eat meat.
Herbivores have ______________________ teeth for grinding and chewing plants.
Giraffes have a long _____________________ to reach leaves high up in the trees.
5. What special adaptation makes polar bears different from grizzly bears?
_______________________________________________________
6. What adaptations do big cats like lions have for getting and eating food? __________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
7. The temperature and rainfall of a particular place over a long period of time is called:
______________________________________________
8. Animals who hunt and kill other animals are called: ____________________________________
9. Animals that are hunted and killed for food by predators: _______________________________
10. What adaptation does the porcupine have to help protect it from being eaten? (Think hair)
________________________________________________
11. Some animals have the ability to blend in with their surroundings; this adaptation is called:
_________________________________________________________
12. What will happen to a species if they can’t adapt to changes in their environment? They will
become…
26
Animal Adaptations – Mini Book by Lindsay A. Caputo
1. A community where plants, animals, and their nonliving environment interact is called an
________________________________________________.
2. A lion chases down and feeds on a zebra. The lion is the ___________________________, and
the zebra is the _____________________.
3. Some animals have a special adaptation for finding food.

The ________________ uses echolocation, a special hearing system, to find food in the
dark.

The owl has special ____________________ to help it move silently to capture its prey.
4. Adaptations can help animals find a mate and keep their babies safe.

The _______________________ birds have brightly colored feathers to attract a mate.

The _______________________ birds have dull colored feathers to help them blend in
with their surroundings so they can protect their eggs and young.
5. Adaptations help animals move.

A duck’s ___________________________ are coated with oil to keep them waterproof.

Most birds have skeletons adapted to flying; their ____________________ are hollow to
make them lightweight.

The great blue heron has a special adaptation to help it move in the water to find
food. It has long __________________ to wade in the water and a harpoon-like
_________________ to spear fish.
6. Adaptations that protect animals.

Penguins live in the very cold Antarctica; they have a layer of ______________ and an
extra layer of feathers to help keep them warm.

A skunk has a rotten _______________________ that can turn away fierce predators.

Camels have long, thick _________________________ to keep the sand out of their eyes.

A porcupine shows its sharp _________________________ to scare off predators.
27
Adaptations are special traits, or characteristics, that
allow an animal to live in its environment. Adaptations
fall into two basic categories. The first is physical
adaptations in which there is a change in the animal’s
physical appearance. The second is behavioral adaptations
in which the animal adjusts its behavior to enhance its
rate of survival.
PHYSICAL
BEHAVIORAL
___________________________________________________________
___________
___________________________________________________________
___________
___________________________________________________________
___________
___________________________________________________________
___________
___________________________________________________________
___________
___________________________________________________________
___________
___________________________________________________________
___________
___________________________________________________________
___________
Write each of the following animal adaptations above in the
correct category.
28
Webbed Feet
Striped fur
Opossum
Turtle hiding
“playing dead” in shell
Nocturnal
Barking/
Howling
Sharp teeth
Hibernation
Porcupine
quills
Brightly
colored
feathers
Migration
Giraffe’s long
neck
29
Limbs and Movement
Adaptations for Locomotion
Most mammals are quadrupeds and normally move about on all fours. They may travel on very
different parts of their feet.
Hooves are equivalent to claws or nails. This means that hoofed animals like deer, sheep, and horses
are walking on their toenails. Pads are similar to toes, so we can say the members of the dog and cat families
all walk on their toes. Some animals walk flatfooted on the soles of their feet. These include humans, bears,
raccoons, skunks, and porcupines.
Marine mammals such as whales and seals have limbs modified into flippers and flukes, well adapted to
swimming. Of all the mammals, only the bat has wings, and has achieved true flight. Mammals have different
ways of moving around. Bats are able to fly through the use of wings. They are the only mammals that can
actually fly. Flying lemurs and flying squirrels cannot actually fly. These mammals have a fold of skin between
the forelimb and the hind limb on each side of the body. By stretching out these “wings,” the animals can glide
from tree to tree.
Looking at Tracks
When looking at animal tracks, first, look at just one print. Note its size, shape, the number of toes,
whether it shows claws, whether it shows fur.
Next look for the pattern of the prints. Measure the space between the strides and the width of the
space between the prints. Note any tail drag.
Then use a guide to mammals to help you with identification. Numbers of toes and the presence or
absence of claws will tell you the animal’s family. For example, members of the cat family all have four toes on
both front and rear feet. Cats also retract their claws when they walk, so no claw prints will be visible.
Reading Tracks
Satisfying as is to put a name to the animal that left the print, there is even more to be learned from
the track patterns the animal left. From those patterns we can deduce the animal’s posture (biped or
quadruped), its speed or gait (walk, trot, gallop, leap), and the direction in which it is traveling.
Changing speed produces changes in a track pattern. As speed increases, tracks become farther apart.
Imprints also become deeper with increased speed.
Hopping and leaping animals make tracks that are confusing unless you realize that their hind feet
usually land in front of their fore feet. To complicate matters further, some animals, like wolves, step directly
into their own tracks. The hind foot steps into the print made by the fore foot.
Tradeoffs
Four-footed locomotion has its advantages. The quadruped animal has excellent balance and stability so
many have been able to develop remarkable speed and agility. These give them advantages in escape, defense,
food getting, and finding mates.
Moving to an upright position, either partially or completely, results in some loss of stability, but frees
up the fore limbs to develop for different purposes. The animal can develop hands, or hand-like appendages.
Monkeys, squirrels, raccoons, and humans have all sacrificed some degree of stability in favor of hands.
30
Animal Locomotion with Bill Nye (video)
1. Animals walk, slither, swim, hop, and fly. What is movement of animals called?
_____________________________________________
2. Dolphins and fish push on the __________________________ to move.
3. Birds push on the _______________________ to move.
4. Animals move around by ____________________________ on something.
5. Why do animals need to move?
_________________________________________________
6. ___________________________ are used to help animals move.
7. When our muscles get shorter, they ____________________________________
8. Muscles don’t push, they can only _________________________________.
9. How many hooves do horses have on the ground when they walk? ___________________
10. Some animals, like a beaver, have webbed feet to help them
_________________________
11. Lions, tigers and cats use their tails to help them:
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
31
Whose Coat is That?
The majority of mammals are hairy beasts. In fact, hairiness is one of their distinguishing
characteristics, one of the features that make them mammals. Only mammals have hair. But
not all mammals have the same amount, and some (like most whales and dolphins) have
almost none at all.
Mammal hair occurs in an extraordinary variety of ways. It can appear as fur, whiskers, wool,
manes, eyelashes, and is even modified (in porcupines and hedgehogs) as spines. Each of
these has its specialized function. Whiskers, for example, are sensory organs of touch. They
help mammals feel their environment, and are especially useful for nocturnal animals.
Eyebrows and lashes protect the eyes. Spines are a defense against predators.
Perhaps fur’s most important function is to help the mammal maintain its body temperature.
Mammals are warm-blooded, or endothermic, and maintain the same body temperature no
matter what the outside temperature. Only mammals and birds have this ability. It takes a
great deal of energy to generate body heat, which explains why birds and mammals require
more food than other types of animals. It is a big advantage to have a fur covering as an
energy saving layer of insulation to keep out the cold and the wet and to keep in body heat.
A typical fur bearing animal like the fox, seal, opossum, or beaver is double coated. It has a
soft thick undercoat that lies close to the skin. The function of this layer is to trap body heat.
There is also a second, longer layer of fur projecting out of the undercoat. This layer is
composed of thick guard hairs that are coarse and oily. Their function is to shed water and
prevent it from penetrating through to the skin. Moose, deer, and elk do not have double
coats. Instead, they have hollow hairs that act as very efficient insulators.
A fur coat can also serve as effective camouflage for both predator and prey alike. For
example, a spotted fawn, a white snowshoe hare in winter, and a tawny lion all blend well
into their habitats. The fawn and the hare have another interesting survival tactic. They
change their coats to adapt to new conditions. When the fawn no longer spends most of its
daylight hours hidden in the dappled shade of a forest thicket, it sheds its spotted juvenile
coat for that of the solid colored adult. And when winter melts into spring, the snowshoe
hare gradually trades its dazzling white coat for a more inconspicuous brown one.
32
Let’s face it; scat is not a pleasant subject. And you are probably pretty surprised that you
actually have to study it with a hand lens, even though they are just models. But there is a
lot to be learned from scat, so try to look at it as just another piece of data.
What does scat say to mammalogists? Scientists who study mammals, called mammalogists,
are delighted when they find scat. Out in the field, fresh scat is a key piece of evidence. It
can tell the mammalogist what kinds of animals are living in that area. It can show what
kinds of food the animals have been eating. Perhaps it can even tell how long ago that
animal passed by.
Scientists use scat to help them identify an animal. From it they can tell what family the
animal belongs to, because animals that belong to the same family all have similar scat.
Herbivores generally produce rounded pellets. But the pellets may vary in color, size, and
texture, depending on what kind of plant material the animal ate.
In spring when herbivores are feasting on fresh new greens, their scat is moist, and it clumps
together. But in winter when herbivores have to eat woody bark and twigs, their scat is dry
and hard, and full of rough fibers.
Carnivores generally produce very different looking scat. Theirs is long and ropy. They
often leave it in very noticeable places, almost like an advertisement. Depending on what
they have been able to hunt down, their scat may contain small animal parts that were not
digested. You might see bits of fur, bone fragments, or small teeth in the scat. Once in a
while when fresh fruits or berries are in season, carnivores will switch from their meaty diet.
Then their scat might contain pits and seeds too.
Omnivores’ scat can be tricky to identify. They can eat anything that is available, and
usually do. So their scat follows no particular pattern. An omnivore’s menu may change from
day to day, and so might its scat. It might be full of cherry pits and apple skins one day, and
bits of bone the next. At least it gives the scientist some idea of what food is available in the
area.
33
All animals, wherever they live, have the same basic survival needs. Animals all need food,
water, oxygen, shelter, and protection from the changing environment. They also need a way to
maintain their body temperature within a safe healthy range. For most animals, just meeting their basic
needs takes up most of their time and energy.
While animals all have the same needs, they each meet these needs in different ways. Animals
have features that allow them to survive in the particular environment in which they live. For example,
land animals use their lungs to take in oxygen from the air, while many animals living in the water use
gills to get oxygen directly from the water. Oxygen is taken into the animal’s body when it inhales; it
goes into the blood stream of the animal and then it is used by the cells in the animal’s body.
All animals need to eat food to get the energy needed for life. This energy originally comes
from the Sun and is transferred to plants, and then on to animals. After eating food, an animal’s body
then transforms the energy, releasing it during essential activities like breathing, growing, and moving
around. Even sleeping takes energy! In addition to food, getting enough fresh water is important to
maintain life.
Each animal needs a place to live. The environment in which an animal makes its home is
called its habitat, and every creature has its own special habitat requirements. Many animals require
shelter to escape predators, to raise young and to help regulate body temperature. Some animals, like
sharks, require large spaces to roam; others, like anemones, are anchored to one spot and don’t need
much room at all. Within a habitat, there are always animals in competition for the available food,
space, and water. In addition to these pressures, habitat destruction by humans has created a hardship
for many animals.
Warm-blooded animals use a lot of energy to keep their bodies at a constant temperature. Coldblooded animals are the same temperature as their surroundings, and while they need less energy to
survive, they must find ways to escape extreme temperature conditions. Like snakes, many coldblooded animals slow down when exposed to low temperatures. Some animals hibernate or aestivate
when their environment cannot support their needs, while some migrate to new locations. Throughout
the many different environments in the world, all animals face the same struggles to meet their basic
survival needs.
1. What are the basic needs of animals? __________________________________________________
2. Why do animals need oxygen to survive? _______________________________________________
3. All animals require food to get the energy they need to survive. Where does this energy found in
food originally come from? ___________________________________
4. What do some animals do to avoid harsh conditions of an environment? ______________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. Animals that can maintain a constant body temperature regardless of their surrounding environment
are
called __________________________________ animals.
34
Every living thing uses energy that flows from the Sun. when a mouse eats grass, it gets energy.
Then a snake eats the mouse and gets energy. Eventually, the snake dies and its body becomes a source
of energy for insects, fungi, and microscopic creatures. This energy transfer from organism to
organism is called a food chain.
All life is dependent on plants as the first link in the food chain. Plants, also called producers,
make food and oxygen. Through a process called photosynthesis, producers trap the Sun’s energy and
make it available to animals. Animals are called consumers because they must eat, or consume, to get
energy. This energy is then transferred throughout the ecosystem in food chains. An ecosystem is the
relationship between all of the living and non-living elements in an environment. Plant-eating animals,
herbivores and meat-eating animals, carnivores, are called consumers. Decomposers are the insects,
bacteria, and fungi that break down the remains of all plants and animals, returning some of the Sun’s
energy to the soil. In this process, carbon dioxide and nitrogen are release, and other nutrients are
deposited in the soil for use by producers, starting the cycle all over again. This is called the nitrogen
cycle.
We can track the flow of energy through an ecosystem by looking at food chains. The greatest
concentration of energy is in the plants. Herbivores use about 10% of the energy that plants produce.
Carnivores use only about 10% of the energy in the herbivores, so they must eat more to get the same
amount of energy. Because the energy flow from one level to the next is less and less, animals at the
top of the food chain must eat the most. An ecological energy pyramid illustrates the fact that it takes
an enormous number of small animals to sustain fewer numbers of large animals.
Because many animals within an ecosystem share the same food, food chains connect into
complex food webs. When an ecosystem is in balance, all organisms have sufficient energy and food to
survive. When an imbalance occurs, every organism in the food web suffers.
1. What is an example of a producer in a food chain?______________________________________
2. Producers make their own food; this process is called __________________________________.
3. Animals that only eat plants are called __________________________________.
4. Decomposers break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil. Examples of
decomposers are:
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. What are some examples of consumers in a food chain? ___________________________________
35
All animals, from the huge hippo to the cuddly koala, have a life cycle that involves many
changes from beginning as an egg in a shell or a womb through development into an adult. This
process is best described if visualized as a circle, where a baby is born, grows, becomes an adult, and
eventually has babies of its own, completing the cycle through reproduction. This life cycle is different
for different animals and often depends on an animal’s basic needs and the environment in which it
lives. Some animals are fed and taught how to survive by their parents, while other animals rely on
their natural instincts from the moment they are born.
From birth to adulthood, animals go through different stages of development. Animals
generally resemble their parents; however, in the case of animals that experience metamorphosis, like
most insects and amphibians, they look very different during the first three stages of their lives. The
stages of metamorphosis are the egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages.
At some point, an animal stops reproducing, begins to grow old, and eventually dies. An
animal’s life span is the amount of time it is alive, and this can vary tremendously between animals.
The average life span of a human is 75 years, while the average life span of the grey fly is around one
week. However, even in death, there are ways an animal helps the life cycles of others to continue. The
animal can be used as food or it can decompose, providing the soil with nutrients. With that in mind, it
becomes apparent that life cycles of animals are part of a much larger cycle, a cycle that includes all
living things.
fertilization
life cycle
life span
offspring
organism
reproduction
1. A series of stages all living things go through that includes being born, developing into adulthood,
and
eventually reproducing. __________________________________
2. Baby animals are called __________________________________
3. Any living thing, plant or animal __________________________________
4. The process of producing a new generation of offspring is called ___________________________
5. The process in which the egg cell from the mother is combined with the sperm cell of the father,
creating one new cell, which develops into an organism inheriting its parents’ characteristics.
________________________
6. The amount of time that an animal lives is a _________________________________
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All About Animal Needs Animal Life (video)
1. Every living creature needs certain things to stay healthy and survive. Animals all need
___________________, ________________, __________________ and ___________________
2. Living takes a lot of energy. But where does this energy come from? Energy comes from
______________.
3. Plants absorb the ___________________ energy and store it as food and this energy is passed
along to the animals that eat plants.
4. _______________________ are animals that eat only plants.
5. _______________________ are animals that get the sun’s energy indirectly by eating other
animals.
6. The animals that are hunted and get eaten are called __________________________.
7. Some carnivores, called ___________________________, wait until an animal dies to eat it.
8. Animals, such as humans, will eat both plants and other animals to acquire the energy they need.
They’re called _________________________________.
9. Another thing that plants produce that all animals need is ________________________, an
invisible gas that is found in the air and in the water.
10. All animals have a way to acquire oxygen; most land animals have ______________________
and animals
that live in the water have special _______________________ that take in the oxygen they need to
survive.
11. Warm-blooded animals, like ___________________________ & _____________________, spend
a lot of energy keeping their bodies at a constant temperature.
12. Snakes and fish stay the same temperature as the environment; they’re___________________.
They must lie in the sun for energy and then find shelter if they get too hot.
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How Do Animals Spend the Winter?
Winter is cold in Western New York. There is snow on the ground. People live in warm
houses. What do other mammals do?
The biggest problem for most animals in the winter is finding enough food. If an animal’s
main source of food is very scarce in the winter, like insects or green plants, it may solve this
problem by hibernating. This deep sleep allows them to conserve energy, and survive the
winter with little or no food. It is a very deep sleep called hibernation.
Bears and chipmunks hibernate. So do frogs, snakes and even some bugs. Most hibernators
prepare in some way for the winter. Some store food in their burrows or dens, to eat when
they awake for short periods. Many eat extra food in the fall while it is plentiful. It is stored
as body fat to be used later for energy.
Other animals stay active in winter. They must adapt to the changing weather. Many make
changes in their behavior or bodies. To keep warm, animals may grow new, thicker fur in the
fall. On weasels and snowshoe rabbits, the new fur is white to help them hide in the snow.
Food is hard to find in the winter. Some animals, like squirrels, mice and beavers, gather
extra food in the fall and store it to eat later. Some, like rabbits and deer, spend winter
looking for moss, twigs, bark and leaves to eat. Other animals may find winter shelter in
holes in trees or logs, under rocks or leaves, or underground. Some mice even build tunnels
through the snow. To try to stay warm, animals like squirrels and mice may huddle close
together.
Some animals must travel to other places where the weather is warmer to find food. The way
animals move is called locomotion. Some birds fly south for the winter. Some animals, like
the caribou, move south in large herds to escape the harsh conditions that winter can bring.
Every year one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles occurs in Canada’s far north, the
migration of the caribou herds. Over two million caribou move from their calving grounds on
the tundra to their wintering grounds. They go south to a warmer place to find food. We call
this migration.
Just as there are places where food and water are scarce in the winter, there are other
places where these resources are scarce in the summer. To survive, some animals
aestivate, which is comparable to hibernate. While the northern ground squirrels spend the
summer eating and preparing for winter hibernation, ground squirrels living in the southwest
desert may avoid the extreme heat by aestivating in their burrows.
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All About Animal Behavior & Communication
(video)
1. All animals have to meet their basic life needs of eating, breathing, sleeping, finding
shelter and mating. What an animal does to meet these needs is called:
____________________________
2. An animal is born knowing how to do certain things; these actions are called
__________________________________ behavior.
3. Give an example of an instinctive behavior: _________________________________
4. To hibernate means: ___________________________________________________
5. Why do many animals hibernate? _________________________________________
6. Is hibernation instinctive or learned behavior? _________________________________
7. Instinctive behavior is very important in helping animals ___________________ to their
environment.
8. Some behaviors must be taught; these behaviors are called ______________________
behaviors.
9. Young animals learn how to hunt and how to react to new experiences. Name another
learned behavior: __________________________________________________
10. Information is shared between animals; this is called ___________________________
11. Animals communicate in many ways. What are some ways that animals share
information? ______________________________________________________________
12. How do dogs communicate? ______________________________________________
13. How do chimpanzees communicate? _______________________________________
14. How do whales communicate? ____________________________________________
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