Where the Wild Things Grow
Biomes: A distinct community of plants and animals that live together in a particular
climate. The plants and animals in each biome have adapted to the particular attributes of
the environment. Within a biome, there are several different habitats and mini-habitats.
Ecosystem: All the organisms in an environment and all of the physical parts of the
environment that affect the organism. Ecosystems are generally changing and adapting.
Biomes are made of ecosystems.
Aquatic (Marine)
The Marine area is actually a smaller component of the Aquatic biome, which is
considered the most important of the biomes. It provides us with all of the water that the
planet and its inhabitants use. It includes all saltwater regions of the earth, including
oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries (where rivers and streams merge with the ocean). This
covers nearly 75% of the Earth’s surface.
Climate doesn’t affect this biome much—the temperature is colder near the poles
and warmer near the equator. Oceans have a great diversity of organisms. The algae in
the oceans are responsible for the majority of the photosynthesis that creates the oxygen
we breathe. The evaporation of the seawater provides rainwater for the land.
Desert (Hot and Dry)
Deserts cover nearly 1/3 of Earth’s land surface. They are defined by having less
than 15 inches of rain a year, and have very little moisture. Deserts can have huge
temperature variations, going from extreme heat during the day to frigid cold at night.
Because of the limited water and wild temperature variations, very few large animals are
able to survive and the animals that do live there have very specialized adaptations. Many
deserts are caused by a formation of mountains preventing rain clouds from reaching the
desert area.
Hot and Dry deserts have hot summers and the other seasons aren’t much colder.
The air is extremely dry, and rainfall is very low and occurs very quickly when it comes.
Plants suited to the area tend to be very short trees and shrubs that are filled with
nutrients and have other water-conserving characteristics. Animals living in this type of
desert are usually nocturnal (sleep during the day, awake at night) and many are
burrowers.
Forest (Tropical)
Forest biomes are filled with trees and other woody vegetation. They cover almost
10% of the Earth’s surface (30% of the land area). Specifically, tropical rainforests cover
less than 6% of Earth’s land surface. Despite this, the plants in the world’s tropical
rainforests create 40% of the planet’s oxygen. Seventy percent of plants in the rainforest
are trees.
Tropical rainforests are generally found near the equator where the temperature
stays between 78-85°F all year long and the length of days never changes from around 12
hours of daylight. They only experience two seasons—a rainy season and a dry season.
Unlike deserts, which have less than 15 inches of rain per year, tropical rainforests have
more than 80 inches of rain per year. As a result of the abundance of rich resources,
rainforests support a huge diversity of species.
Grassland (Savannas)
Grasslands are dominated by grass rather than by trees. Savannas tend to be found
near tropical rainforests by the equator. They can be found on all continents except
Antarctica, and cover nearly 50% of Africa. They support a very diverse wildlife.
Rainfall tends to be between 20 and 50 inches per year; however, the rain comes so rarely
that draught and fires prevent large forests from growing.
The ground in the savanna is full of holes that allow quick drainage of water. As a
result, plants have found interesting ways of getting and storing their water. Some plants
have very long roots to reach deep for water, while others store water in their trunks. To
survive predators, many grasses have adaptations like sharp blades or a bitter taste that
keep certain animals from eating them.
The Banded Gila Monster can grow to be two feet long and weigh up to three
pounds. They can attack very quickly, and are one of only two poisonous types of lizards
in the world. Their distinctive skin pattern can be in pink, orange, and red, and helps to
warn predators that they are poisonous. Their skin is dry and thick, preventing them from
losing fluids to evaporation.
These lizards tend to spend most of their lives underground in burrows to escape
the heat. They store fat in their tail and body, and can survive on that fat for up to three
months. The Gila Monster is a predator, and eats rabbits, hares, small reptiles, birds, and
rodents, and bird and reptile eggs. However, they are prey to humans, coyotes, and birds
of prey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk0Fhtspqvs
The Kangaroo Rat can grow to be about 14 inches long (including the tail). They
move almost exactly like a kangaroo does, but it still a rodent. Their hair is yellow on
their backs and white on their bellies. The large, fluffy tail helps the Kangaroo Rat
balance and steer.
These rodents tend to live alone in large underground dens containing food
storage rooms and nests, and each Kangaroo Rat has a territory of about ½ acre. They eat
seeds, leaves, stems, and insects, and have adapted to desert life by getting their water
from the food they eat and having large cheek pouches in which to store food. Their
predators are coyotes, foxes, badgers, snakes, and owls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkO8WaOXK8
The Coyote can grow to be four feet long and weigh up to 30 pounds. They are
known for their powerful eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell. They tend to have tan
coats with bits of brown, red, grey, black, and white. Their coloring helps them hide in
the desert and hunt for their prey.
Most Coyotes live alone or in pairs, and pairs may choose to join larger packs.
They will eat almost anything they can find—rabbits, rodents, insects, reptiles, fruits,
nuts, and even garbage. This willingness to eat anything shows their ability to adapt and
adjust to their environment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6UFGqDeALU
The Cactus Wren is the largest wren in the United States at 7-9 inches. They are
very energetic and curious birds. Their bodies are brown with black and white streaks,
they have a while line running across each eye, and dark, long, curved beaks. They build
nests in low, thorny trees or shrubs out of dry grasses lined with feathers or other soft
materials.
As an adaptation to their surroundings, these birds will change the number of eggs
they lay depending on their food supply. They mainly eat insects like ants, beetles,
grasshoppers, and wasps, but also eat fruits, seeds, and sometimes a treefrog or small
lizard. Almost all of the water they need comes from their food.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcnQsJqse4
African Elephants are the largest land mammals in the world, weighing up to
10,000 pounds and growing up to 12 feet tall. They have a thick, grayish brown skin and
large ivory tusks growing out if their mouths. They eat shrubs and trees to allow grass to
grow easily in the savanna, allowing the grazing animals to survive.
Because of their size and thick skin, African Elephants are very difficult for
predators to eat. However, young, unlucky Elephants may become lost and find
themselves prey to leopards, lions, or jaguars. Their long, flexible trunk has nostrils on
the end and allows them to pick up food and water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZKdHVOS9kc
The Black Mamba is the most deadly snake in the world. They can grow 14 feet
in length, and move as fast as twelve miles per hour. They are not actually black; their
bodies are brownish-grey with brown scales on the back and a light belly. Their name
comes from the purplish-black lining of their mouths.
These snakes feed on small mammals like voles, rats, squirrels, mice, and rats.
They attack their prey with their fangs, injecting venom that slowly paralyzes their meal.
The Black Mamba then swallows their prey whole. No animal is capable of killing them,
and their venom is capable of killing just about anything, though humans have
successfully created an antidote.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmre5kI49rI
The Koala Bear is an extremely unique mammal. They are marsupials, which
means that they carry their young in a pouch like kangaroos. At their biggest, they can be
almost three feet tall and as much as 30 pounds. They have a thick, waterproof coat of
brown, grey, and white fur that keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer,
and allows them to camouflage to hide from predators.
The only things that they eat are eucalyptus leaves, which are poisonous to other
animals but healthy for Koalas. They spend all of their time in eucalyptus trees. Their
noses, while small, are able to smell what plants are poisonous to them. Koalas are prey
to foxes, dogs, and humans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psq_DkBHY60
The Emu is the largest bird in Australia. They can grow up to 5 feet 7 inches tall
and weigh around 120 pounds. Despite their large wings, they can’t fly. The feathers
close to their skin are white, while the ones on the surface are blackish brown. They only
have three sharp toes, allowing them to run very fast.
Emu eggs take two months to hatch. During those two months, the father cares for
the eggs, and continues to care for the birds once they’ve hatched for several more
months. Emus eat mostly fruits, flowers, insects, seeds, and loves green vegetation and
caterpillars. They require a lot of water to stay alive. They are prey to dogs, foxes, and
feral cats.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RVZvUJDTUE
The Bengal Tiger is one of the largest tigers in the world. They can grow up to ten
feet long, three feet tall, and weigh up to 575 pounds. They are mostly orange and brown,
with white on parts of the face and stomach, and their coat is thick enough to keep them
warm in the winter. They are nocturnal.
They eat boars, wild oxen, monkeys, and other animals. They prefer to go after
either young or old animals because they don’t run very fast. Unfortunately, the Bengal
Tiger has been hunted to near extinction by their humans, their only predators. Humans
kill them to use their bones and teeth for medicines and their fur for clothing and
decorations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-wURb1HX2s
Chimpanzees are one of the more intelligence species of animals on the planet.
They are between three and five feet tall and can weigh up to 175 pounds. They have
black hair, but adults are often bald. While they have no tail, infants have a small tuft of
white fur where a tail would go. Chimpanzees live in communities of 15 to 100 members,
and they live together in nests high in trees.
Their favorite foods are fruits and young leaves, but they will eat buds and
blossoms, stems, honey, bark, resin, seeds, nuts, and even insects. Occasionally, they will
even eat small monkeys, pigs, and antelopes. They mostly look for food on the ground,
always on the move, unlike monkeys who forage mostly in the canopy of trees.
Chimpanzees have been found to use basic tools to pull termites out of the ground and to
crack nuts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NivAusARwd8
The Dawn Bat is a very unique rainforest bat. They weigh between 35 and 82
grams, and are 8.5 to 12.5 cm long. They have small, pointed ears, long, slender snouts,
and little, round eyes. Their brown fur is darker on their backs and lighter on their
stomachs. They roost in limestone caves, sometimes in groups of tens of thousands of
bats.
They have a long tongue that can be thrust into flowers to pick up pollen and
nectar. Their favorite flowers are from the mangrove apple and the durian tree, and they
are the main pollinators of those flowers. They are also known to pollinate peaches,
bananas, avocados, and latex plants. It is assumed but not confirmed that Dawn Bats are
prey to climbing snakes and nocturnal birds of prey, such as owls.
The Toco Toucan is the largest toucan in the world. It can grow to over two feet
in length and weigh over a pound. Its feathers are white and black, sometimes with a
touch of scarlet or yellow, and short, round wings. It also has a large, hollow, brightly
colored orange and black bill and a feather-like tongue almost six inches long
Toco Toucans use their feather-like tongue to help move food along their bills,
and their strong toes help them hold a good grip on branches. Their very wide tails also
help provide a strong balance in trees. They eat fruits, seeds, insects, spiders, and will eat
the eggs and young of smaller birds and reptiles. Their main predators are humans and
large cats like jaguars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWXkkPfiBk0
The Atlantic White-sided Dolphin is found in the North Atlantic Ocean between
Massachusetts and the British Isles. They can grow up to almost nine feet in length and
weigh up to 500 pounds. Like most dolphins, they are mostly white, grey, and blue, but
they have a unique pale yellow patch on each side of their body. They swim in groups of
around 60 members.
They are actually not fish, but mammals, which requires that they swim up to the
surface for air. They have blubber, which is a fatty layer under their skin that keeps them
warm in cold water. They feed on shrimp, smelt, squid, and herring. Its major predators
are killer whales, sharks, and humans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GezXUJE0kgo&feature=related
Clownfish are found in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. There
are 28 different species of them, and they can range from four to seven inches long. They
are generally a combination of yellows, oranges, reds, and black, some with bits of white.
Clownfish have a symbiotic relationship with sea anemones, meaning the two species
depend on each other to survive.
Clownfish feed on potentially harmful undigested matter around sea anemones,
and bodily waste from the Clownfish provide nutrients to the sea anemone. The
Clownfish live in small groups in a single anemone, which provides them protection from
predators like moray eels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyYW0mr-e7k
The Great Hammerhead Shark is the largest of hammerhead sharks. They can
reach up to 18 feet in length and weigh up to almost 1000 pounds. They have a flat,
rectangular, hammer-shaped head with a small notch along the center of the front edge.
They are light grey or grey-brown with a white belly.
They like to feed on fish, crabs, squid, lobsters, and other sharks, but their favorite
food appears to be stingrays. These sharks use their “hammer” head to hold down their
prey while they eat them. Their predators are other sharks and humans, who eat them and
use their liver oil for vitamins, fins for soup, and hides for leather.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnkiKMhE9po
The Green Sea Turtle is found throughout the world, especially in the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans. It has a large, rounded shell and large, paddle-like flippers. Its name
comes from the green color of its fat and flesh; its shell actually ranges from olive-brown
to black. Many islands worldwide have been named “Turtle Islands” because of large
number of Green Turtles that nest there each year.
These turtles feed almost entirely on seagrasses and seaweed; though their young
will sometimes feed on tiny marine animals, their digestive systems prevent this eating
habit to continue later in life. Only large sharks and humans are known to hunt them.
Despite needing to breathe air to survive, these turtles can swim for five minutes without
needing more air and can sleep for several hours without needing to come to the surface
to breathe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bvqrU7Tqaw