Animal habitats might be divided into three major sorts: terrestrial (land) habitats and two aquatic habitats: freshwater, and marine (saltwater).
Examples of terrestrial animal habitats embrace forests, grasslands and deserts; examples of freshwater animal habitats embrace lakes, rivers and marshes; examples of marine animal habitats embrace coral reefs, the open ocean and the intertidal zone.
On this web page we discover the several types of animal habitats and supply examples of species that dwell in every.
Web page Index
Animal Habitats
What Is An Animal Habitat?
An animal habitat is the mixture of bodily elements that have an effect on animal life in a selected space. These elements can embrace: local weather, quantity of accessible daylight, geological traits (the kind of rocks and soil out there), the quantity and sort of flowers current, and the presence and quantity of both salt or recent water.
Anywhere by which an animal can dwell might be thought-about an animal habitat. These vary from a forest to inside one other animal!
On this web page we cowl all of Earth’s main terrestrial and aquatic animal habitats.
Terrestrial Animal Habitats
A terrestrial habitat is one that happens on land, somewhat than in water. The primary animals appeared within the sea a minimum of 600 million years in the past; the primary land animals possible appeared in the course of the Ordovician Interval, round 150 million years later.
Forest Habitats
A forest is an space by which the first vegetation is timber. Forests cowl round 31% of Earth’s complete landmass, and are house to extra animal species than another terrestrial habitat.
Forests are house to many alternative animals, a lot of that are arboreal (tree-dwelling).
Animals that dwell in forest habitats embrace bears, monkeys, gorillas, wild cats comparable to tigers and ocelots, deer, woodpeckers, owls, tree frogs and plenty of varieties of snakes.
Boreal Forest / Taiga
Boreal forests, that are also referred to as taiga, are positioned within the northern hemisphere south of the Arctic tundra and north of the northern temperate forests.
Boreal forests cowl round 11.5% of the Earth’s complete land space–roughly 17 million sq. km / 6.6 million sq. miles. They’re dominated by conifers (cone-producing crops comparable to spruces, larches and pines), and are lined by snow for a lot of the yr.
Animals that dwell in boreal forests embrace: American black bear, brown bear, wolf, North American and Eurasian beavers, reindeer / caribou, nice grey owl, Canada and Eurasian lynxes, snowshoe hare and raven.
- You’ll be able to see extra animals that dwell in boreal forests on this web page: Taiga Animals
- Yow will discover out extra concerning the taiga habitat on this web page: Taiga Biome
Tropical Rainforest
Tropical rainforests are forests that develop across the equator, between the Tropics of Most cancers and Capricorn. Regardless of protecting solely round 6% of the Earth’s floor, rainforests are house to 80% of all identified species.
Because of their location, tropical rainforests are sizzling all yr spherical, and expertise a excessive quantity of rainfall. There’s little seasonal distinction in a rainforest, and crops can develop constantly all year long.
Because of this mixture of things, tropical rainforests are by far probably the most biodiverse of all land habitats.
Animals that dwell in tropical rainforest habitats world wide embrace: red-eyed tree frog, harpy eagle, macaws, toucans, electrical eel, blue morpho butterflies, Hercules beetle, umbrellabird, inexperienced anaconda, gaboon viper, orangutan, sloth, gorilla, spider monkeys and howler monkeys.
Temperate Forest
Temperate forests are forests that develop on the earth’s temperate zones, that are positioned between Earth’s tropical and polar areas.
Though missing the biodiversity of tropical rainforests, temperate forests are however essential animal habitats, providing shelter and meals for a lot of species.
Animals that dwell in temperate forests world wide embrace: chipmunks, voles, raccoon, flying squirrels, bears, bald eagle, goshawk, sparrowhawk, fireplace salamander, Tasmanian satan and platypus.
Grassland Habitat
Whereas forest habitats are dominated by timber, grassland habitats are dominated by grasses. Grasses are flowering crops within the household Poaceae. Most reproduce with wind pollination, however some depend on bugs.
Relying on how they’re outlined, grasslands cowl between 31% and 69% of land on Earth.
Grasslands are open, uncovered locations by which timber are both sparse or fully absent. Many grasslands have low rainfall and chilly winters, making them pretty inhospitable areas with comparatively low biodiversity.
Grasslands are sometimes inhabited by grazing animals, whose presence helps maintain tree development to a minimal.
The Pampas of South America, prairie of North America, and Steppe of Asia are all examples of grasslands.
Animals that dwell in grassland habitats embrace: aardvark, aardwolf, kangaroos and wallabies, Pallas’s cat, saiga antelope, American badger, American bison, coyote, prairie canine, big anteater, maned wolf and rhea.
Savanna Habitat
Savanna (spelled “savannah” in British English) is a habitat part-way between a forest and grassland. Not like a grassland, a savanna has timber, though they’re spaced far sufficient aside to permit grass to develop on the bottom between them. (A savanna lacks the continual cover layer that forestalls daylight from reaching the forest ground.)
The world’s most well-known savanna habitat is present in sub-Saharan Africa, which is house to iconic animals comparable to wildebeest, African buffalo, zebras, African bush elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, lion, cheetah, hyenas and African wild canine.
Tundra Habitat
Tundra is a habitat present in polar areas by which the soil is completely frozen. Throughout the lengthy winters of the tundra, daytime are both quick or non-existent.
Solely exceptionally hardy crops can develop within the tundra, and the few animals that decision the tundra their house have developed quite a few diversifications for dwelling on this inhospitable habitat.
Tundra is present in each the Arctic and Antarctica. As well as, a type of tundra generally known as Alpine tundra is discovered above the tree line in mountainous areas.
Animals that dwell within the tundra habitat embrace: Arctic fox, Arctic hare, muskox, caribou / reindeer, Dall sheep, lemming, Arctic wolf, wolverine, voles, narwhal, beluga, skuas and a number of other gull species.
Desert Habitat
A desert is an space with little or no rainfall. Consequently, the desert habitat is among the least biodiverse habitats. Deserts are characterised by excessive temperatures, and might both be “sizzling” deserts or “chilly” deserts.
Deserts comparable to Africa’s Sahara Desert and Kalahari Desert and Australia’s Nice Australian Desert are “sizzling deserts”, whereas Asia’s Gobi Desert, South America’s Patagonian Desert and far of the continent of Antarctica are “chilly deserts”.
As a result of lack of cloud cowl, even sizzling deserts can expertise extraordinarily chilly temperatures at evening. The vast distinction between day and night-time temperatures presents a further problem for the world’s desert animals.
Animals that dwell in desert habitats embrace: Arabian oryx, camel spiders, scorpions, camels, fennec fox, equipment fox, Gila monster, meerkat, Mojave Desert tortoise, thorny satan, perentie and water-holding frog.
- You’ll be able to see extra animals that dwell in a desert habitat on this web page: Desert Animals
- You’ll be able to see extra deserts on this web page: Well-known Deserts
- Yow will discover out extra about desert habitats on this web page: Desert Information
Montane Habitat
A mountain is a projection of land whose peak is over 1,000 ft / 300 m above sea stage. Mountain ranges usually type on account of tectonic motion. Mountains are additionally created by volcanic exercise.
A single mountain can have numerous completely different habitats, starting from montane forests that develop foothills and valleys, to alpine tundra above the tree line.
Examples of animals that dwell in montane habitats embrace: Alpine marmot, Alpine ibex, Andean condor, Chamois, Golden eagle, Himalayan tahr, snow leopard, wild goat, mountain goat and mountain hare.
- You’ll be able to see extra animals that dwell in montane habitats on this web page: Mountain Animals
Caves
Caves are pure holes within the floor. They’re fashioned in numerous methods, together with erosion by water and tectonic exercise.
With no gentle, and a corresponding lack of flowers, caves are usually not locations by which numerous species are discovered.
Cave animals, generally known as troglobites, are sometimes characterised by partial or full blindness, lack of pigmentation (cave animals are sometimes white or extraordinarily pale), and enhanced non-visual sense organs comparable to prolonged antennae.
Examples of animals that dwell in caves embrace: the olm (also referred to as the cave salamander), Phantom cave snail, white cave velvet worm, Nelson cave spider, Madla cave spider, Aleys’ cave millipede, Benton County cave crayfish, rosy woodlouse, cave cricket, and Troglocladius hajdi, a midge that is ready to fly regardless of being blind.
Animals that shelter in caves however which spend a major period of time exterior, comparable to bats, bears, hyenas and the oilbird, are not thought-about troglobites.
City Habitats
City habitats are these present in cities and cities comparable to buildings, parks and gardens. Though dominated by people, city areas are house to a shocking quantity of wildlife, and are significantly suited to adaptable, generalist species.
Examples of animals present in city habitats embrace: crimson fox, coyote, raccoon, gulls, rats, mice, feral pigeon and peregrine falcon.
Aquatic Habitats
The world’s aquatic habitats might be divided into two major teams: marine / saltwater habitats, and freshwater habitats. Under are examples of aquatic habitats in each major teams.
Freshwater Animal Habitats
Lower than 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater, and far of that’s frozen within the type of polar ice caps and glaciers. The proportion of Earth’s water in a position to assist a large range of life is much smaller – in truth, simply 0.014% of all Earth’s water is freshwater within the type of rivers, lakes and wetlands.
Freshwater Wetlands
Wetland habitats are areas by which the bottom is both flooded or saturated by water. Freshwater wetlands embrace swamps and marshes. In a swamp, the dominant flowers is woody timber or shrubs. In a marsh, the dominant flowers is aquatic crops.
Wetlands are discovered on each continent and are house to a big number of animal life.
Examples of wetland habitat animals from world wide embrace: caimans, crocodiles, alligators, marsh deer, otters, capybara, herons, egrets, cranes, geese, mink and beavers.
Rivers
A river is a physique of flowing water. Each a river itself, and the riparian zone – the land located subsequent to a river – present a house to many animal species. Rivers are freshwater habitats, however the place they meet the ocean, rivers can grow to be brackish. (Brackish water is a mixture of saltwater and freshwater).
Examples of animals that dwell in or close to rivers embrace: crocodiles, alligators, nutria / coypu, river dolphins, pike, perch, catfish, otters, the hellbender, the alligator snapping turtle, kingfishers, dragonflies and mayflies.
Rivers are additionally non permanent properties to migratory fish comparable to salmon, steelhead, sea trout and freshwater eels, which migrate between freshwater and marine habitats.
Lakes & Ponds
Lakes and ponds are our bodies of nonetheless water. A lake is usually greater and deeper than a pond. Lakes are fashioned in numerous other ways, together with tectonic, glacial or volcanic exercise.
Lakes may also be fashioned by rivers, with oxbow lakes, that are fashioned when a U-shaped part of river turns into remoted from the primary river, being a standard instance.
Many animals that dwell in different freshwater habitats, comparable to wetlands and rivers, are additionally present in lakes and ponds.
Examples of animals present in lakes embrace the hippopotamus, widespread water snake, widespread mudpuppy, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, carp, widespread snapping turtle, nice diving beetle, water striders and water boatmen.
Marine Animal Habitats
The world’s oceans and seas cowl 71% of Earth’s floor and include over 96% of the planet’s water. The primary dwelling issues appeared within the ocean over 3.5 billion years in the past, and the ancestors of all terrestrial animals had been marine animals.
Marine habitats don’t simply embrace the open ocean; in addition they embrace the world’s coasts, estuaries, reefs, and different saltwater ecosystems.
An enormous variety of animals dwell within the sea, together with fish, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, and cnidarians (animals comparable to jellyfish, sea anemones and corals). The world’s oceans are additionally house to a comparatively small variety of mammals, together with whales and dolphins, and reptiles, comparable to sea turtles and sea snakes.
The Coast
The coast is the area the place the land meets the ocean. The coastal habitat helps a variety of animals, from worms that dwell within the sediment, to birds comparable to gulls and waders which have quite a few diversifications for foraging in coastal environments. Pinnipeds (marine mammals comparable to seals, sea lions and the walrus) breed on coasts in lots of elements of the world.
The Intertidal Zone
The intertidal zone is the world of the shore that’s above the low-water mark and beneath the high-water mark. It’s uncovered at low tide and lined by water at excessive tide.
The retreating tide can go away areas of water generally known as rock swimming pools or tide swimming pools. These might be house to small fish and a wide range of different marine animals.
Animals that dwell within the intertidal zone habitat embrace lugworms, ragworms, crabs, barnacles, sea stars / starfish, sea urchins, periwinkles, anemones, limpets, blennies, rock gobies and weeverfish.
Estuaries
An estuary is a physique of water fashioned the place a river meets the ocean. The water in an estuary is commonly brackish (a mixture of saltwater and freshwater). Estuaries are sometimes nutrient-rich and residential to a correspondingly massive variety of animals.
Animals that dwell in estuaries embrace waterfowl (birds comparable to geese and geese); wading birds comparable to sandpipers, plovers, oystercatchers and stilts; herons, egrets, mullets and porpoises.
Mangrove Forests
Mangrove forests are wetland areas throughout the intertidal zone whose vegetation is dominated by mangroves.
Mangroves are timber or woody shrubs which might be in a position to dwell in brackish or salt water. Mangroves usually have prop roots that maintain the primary plant above the water stage.
Animals that dwell in mangrove forests embrace sponges, oysters; crustaceans comparable to shrimp, mud lobsters, barnacles, fiddler crabs, the mangrove crab and the blue soldier crab; birds such because the mangrove fantail, mangrove kingfisher, brown pelican and nice egrets; and fish such because the mangrove jack, mangrove snapper, and mangrove whipray.
Seagrass Meadows
Shallow coastal areas whose vegetation is predominantly seagrasses are generally known as seagrass meadows or seagrass beds. Seagrasses are flowering crops in a position to develop in marine habitats, and the one crops that develop within the ocean. Their lengthy, inexperienced leaves resemble grasses discovered on land.
Animals that dwell in seagrass meadows embrace mollusks, bristle worms, crustaceans comparable to shrimp and crabs; fish comparable to seahorses and flatfish, and bigger animals such because the dugong, manatees and the inexperienced sea turtle.
Kelp Forests
A kelp forest is an space of the ocean dominated by kelp. Kelp is a sort of brown algae seaweed that grows on the seabed. Kelp forests are most ample in temperate and polar areas.
Animals that dwell in kelp forests embrace: rockfish, sea snails, sea urchins, brittle stars, bristle worms, clams, mussels, seals and sea lions.
The sea otter is a keystone species in kelp forests, because it preys on sea urchins which graze on kelp.
(A keystone species is one which performs a significant half in sustaining an ecosystem.)
Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are undersea habitats fashioned by corals, colonial marine invertebrates associated to jellyfish and sea anemones.
The calcium carbonate contained the skeletons of the person corals that make up a colony step by step combines to type rock-like buildings.
Coral reefs are generally known as the “rainforests of the ocean” as a result of huge variety of species they supply a house to; a minimum of 25% of all marine species are thought to dwell within the coral reef habitat.
Animals that dwell on coral reefs embrace: invertebrates comparable to sponges, jellyfish, starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers and fish comparable to wrasses, triggerfish, and sharks. Outbreaks of the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish might be extraordinarily damaging for coral reefs.
The Open Sea
The open sea is the world past the shallow waters discovered round landmasses comparable to continents and islands and above the seabed. This space is also referred to as the “pelagic zone”.
The seabed is called the “benthic zone”, whereas the world instantly above the benthic zone is the “demersal zone”.
Animals discovered within the open sea embrace: whales, dolphins, herrings, sardines, anchovies, tuna, sharks, sunfish and migrating sea turtles.
Hydrothermal Vents
Hydrothermal vents, or submarine vents are cracks within the Earth’s crust on the ocean mattress attributable to the motion of tectonic plates.
The magma beneath the plates heats the seawater that enters the vents, which can lead to the water reaching a temperature of over 700° F (the water doesn’t boil as a result of excessive stress at these depths).
Chemical substances emitted from the vents assist micro organism and different microorganisms, which in flip present vitamins for bigger animals.
Animals that dwell on submarine vents embrace mollusks such because the scaly-foot gastropod (a deep-sea snail) and deep sea mussels of genus Bathymodiolus; worms such because the Pompeii worm and the two meter / 6.6 ft tall big tube worm; and crustaceans such because the “Hoff crab”, a yeti crab named after actor David Hasselhoff on account of its furry chest!