What is a habitat? A habitat is a home that suits a particular living thing. Plants and animals are adapted to the habitats they live in.

This lake is a habitat. The meadows are another habitat. The forests are another habitat. The open mountains are another habitat. We see that because different plants grow in each habitat. But there will be thousands of different animals adapted to each habitat, too, and although they are less easy to see, they should be remembered.

Every living thing has a habitat. It is its natural home. The conditions there provide it with everything it needs for survival. Small animals have small habitats. For example the habitat of the woodlouse is the spaces under stones and cracks in rotting wood. Large animals have large habitats. For example the habitat of the golden eagle, which soars in the air looking for food, is a mountain.

Each habitat has a set of environmental conditions. In a meadow there is no shade from the sun or shelter from the wind, but in the wood there is shade and the air is often still.

Over millions of years plants and animals have become adapted to the different environments in habitats. Most of them are so well adapted to a particular habitat that they cannot survive in another habitat unless they are given a very long time to adjust. Woodland plants cannot survive in a meadow because of the lack of shelter, and meadow animals like the mole cannot survive in a wood because the tree roots stop it from making burrows.

Video: woodland habitat.

Explore these further resources...

(These links take you to other parts of our web site, never to outside locations.)

You can search in these books:

You can look in this topic for more books, videos and teacher resources:

Jump to Habitats toolkit screen

The toolkit screen link will take you to a library containing a selection of:
an i-topic, more books, pictures, videos and teacher's stuff related to the search word.

Habitat