Thursday 1 December 2011

Animals that live in group

Animals living in group have better protection against becoming the prey of others. There is safety in numbers especially in the wild. They tend to share the care and protection of the young. Groups are also more likely to be able to defend a region from competing animals. Below are some examples of animals live in group.


1) horse



2) buffalo



3) cow



4) elephant



5) lion



6) ants



7) fox



8) dog



9) zebra

Animals that live solitary

Animals living in solitary do not have to share food with each other. These animals can avoid competition for space, mate and shelter too. Below are some examples of animals that live solitary.


1) polar bear



2) skunk



3) leopard



4) tiger



5) jaguar

Food web

A food web consists of two or more food chains linked together. Also, a food chain represents a series of events in which food and energy are transferred from one organism in an ecosystem to another.


In any ecosystem, many food chains overlap. Several consumers may eat the same kind of plant or animal for food. When this happen, the food chain forms a food web. A food web shows how food chains are related within an ecosystem.


Below are an examples of food web.




The five possible food chains in the habitat are :


1) grass ---- > mouse ---- > snake ---- > hawk


2) grass ---- > mouse ---- > hawk


3) grass ---- > rabbit ---- > hawk


4) grass ---- > grasshopper ---- > hawk


5) grass ---- > grasshopper ---- > lizard ---- > hawk



Each organism has a role in a food web. If there is a change in the population of a certain species, then the population of other species connected to it will also be affected.




ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY


How many food chains are there in the food webs?


Food web 1:




Food web 2:




Food web 3:


Food Chain

A food chain shows how each living thing gets its food. A food chain always starts with plant life and end with an animal.


Plants are called producers because they are able to use light energy from the Sun to produce food ( sugar ) from carbon dioxide and water.


Animals cannot make their own food so they must eat plants or animals. They are called consumers. 


Below is a simple food chain in garden.


sand art

Snail eat grass. The grass provides energy to the snail. The energy comes from the Sun. Plants use the energy from the Sun to make their own food. They are called producers.


The arrow means "it is eaten by". If the snail is eaten by a bird, the relationship is called a food chain. The snail and the bird in this food chain are called consumers because they get their food by eating plants.




ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY


Can you construct the food chains below?


Food chain 1:



Food chain 2:



Food chain 3:


Importance of Survival

Animals need food to survive. One animal species is a source of food to another. For examples, eagles eat snakes. If snakes do not survive, there will be shortage of food for eagles. The eagles may become extinct.

Different animals eat different types of food. Animals can be classified into three categories according to the food they eat.

a) Herbivores


Herbivores are animals that eat only plants and plants material. These animals are usually smaller than carnivores. Herbivores may eat leaves, berries, roots or even tree bark. Examples of herbivores are giraffes, sheeps, rabbits, cows, horses and elephants.

b) Carnivores


Carnivores are animals that eat only meat. These animals are usually fairly large and they have to eat other animals in order to obtain enough energy. Some carnivores eat insects and bugs, small animals, while other carnivores eat bigger animals. Examples of carnivores are wolves, lions, eagles, cheetahs and tigers.
c) Omnivores 

Omnivores are animals that can eat both plant material and meat. They can get their food more easily than other animals because they can eat more types of food then either herbivores and carnivores. Examples of omnivores are chickens, bears, pigs, turtles and chimpanzees. 

Animals that do not take care of their eggs

However, some of the animals do not take care of their eggs, therefore these animals produce large number of eggs to remain their species. These are the examples of animals that do not take care of their eggs.


1) turtle

The turtle lay and buried their eggs. As the eggs hatch, the young will make their own way to the water.



2) tortoise


The tortoises cover their eggs with sands and leave the eggs to hatch.



3) frog

The frogs lay their eggs in water or wet places. A floating clump of eggs is called frog spawn. The large and slippery mass of eggs are too big to be eaten.                                                  


4) cockroaches

The cockroaches lay their eggs and hide them in dark places such as in the cupboard.

Monday 28 November 2011

Animals that take care of their young

Animals teach their young many things, from how to fly to how to find food. They are taught through sounds and touch. Animals take care of their young from being eaten or destroyed by their enemies. This will ensure the survival of their species.

Here are some examples of animals that take care of their young.

1) monkey

Monkeys clean, fed and protects their cubs from harm.

2) bat

Bats care for their young like most birds do, by bringing food back to their nests to feed them. The thing that is different about bats, is that sometimes they have "babysitters", who watch a few nests at once.

3) cow

The mother cow will feed their young calf immediately after gives birth.

4) dolphin
How Do Dolphins Take Care of Their Young?thumbnail
The baby dolphin stay close to their mother up to five years.

5) dugong

The dugong mother will keep their baby stay close to her.

6) kangoroo

Kangaroos carry their joeys in their pouches since birth. They nurse their joeys with milk. Joeys will be safe and warm in the pouch until they are too big to fit into the pouch. 

7) dog

The mothers keeps their puppy safe and feed them everyday. She will teach their puppy walk, play and where to potty.

8) deer

The mother deer will nurse the fawn until it can eat solid food, when the fawn is about one month old, the mother deer will show the fawn where to get food, water and teach them what to fear.


9) tiger

A tiger mother will take care of her cubs until they are six to eight weeks old. Attacking the enemies is a way the mother tries to protect its cubs.


10) snakehead

Male snakeheads keep their young in their mouth to protect them.


11) elephant

Elephants stay in their herds to protect their cubs.


12) bird

Birds feed their young until the young can fly out of the nest to find their own food.

Sunday 27 November 2011

Animals that take care of their eggs

Animals reproduce to make sure their species continue to exist. However, being able to reproduce is not enough. Animals have to take care of their eggs and young.


Pupils do you know what animals that take care of their eggs? These are examples of animals that take care of their eggs.


1) snake

A mother snake will find a warm, safe and protected area for her eggs. The area between the
roots of a bush is a perfect place for snakes to lay their eggs. The mother will stay for the hatchlings until the baby snake leave.


4) penguin

The males take care of the egg in a special pouch located near the feet. 


5) duck

The parents will take turn to take care of the nest.


6) platypus

Platypus are one of two types of mammals which lay eggs. The mother platypus curls her body around the eggs to incubate them around ten days. After hatching, the mother platypus feeds her young on milk secreted from glands.


7) crocodile

The mother crocodile bury their eggs in warm and moist sand. They will hang around until the eggs hatch, guarding the nest and when they hear the babies squeaking, they go back to the nest and carry their young to the water in their mouth.

Friday 25 November 2011

Endanger animals which going extinct

Because of humans, an alarming rate of animals are becoming extinct every day. At this rate, more than half of the world's species will be extinct in 100 years. This is because of habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, and invasive species.


1) whales


2) polar bear


3) the Siberian tiger



4) the Loggerhead Turtle



5) White Tailed Fish Eagle



6) the Mandarin Duck



7) the Lion Tailed Macaque



8) Jackass Penguin



9) Mountain Gorilla



10) Numbat



11) Black Footed Ferret


12) black rhinoceros



13) orang utan