Home Is Where The Habitat Is
Diverse habitats are needed for diverse wildlife. All animals need a place to live - a place to find food, water and shelter; a place to rear their young. An animal's habitat must include everything it needs to survive and reproduce. A web-spinning spider's habitat might be a single branch of a large Douglas-fir tree. A red-tailed hawk's habitat covers hundreds of acres, including forests for shelter and nesting sites and open areas for hunting. A habitat may be a single tree with the right features to make a home. Some animals need specific features in their habitat. Many birds need snags, standing dead trees, for nesting sites. These birds nest in holes or cavities in the snag. A habitat may be many miles of forest, meadow and open land. Some animals thrive in a diverse habitat. Elk range over thousands of acres. They may use old-growth forests for shelter and young forests for feeding. Elk herds often move to higher elevations during the spring and summer to follow the emerging new growth. As winter approaches and snow covers the ground, herds move back to lower elevations where food may be easier to find. Instructions: Choose one of the five animals below and create its habitat.