Animals are found almost everywhere. Mostly they are found in the forests, deserts, and grasslands.

Some
are burrowing in the soil, floating and swimming in rivers and oceans, while others are flying freely in the
air. The earth's regions that support life become their sanctuary.

A habitat is where animals live. It is the place where they breed, breathe, and find food, water, and shelter.
For example, a pond skater's habitat is a pond or a lake, while an earthworm's habitat is the soil. Different
animals that live in a particular habitat is called a community. In any habitat, a number of species live and
depend on one another. They depend greatly on the environmental conditions that will favor their growth
and development. Thus, the ability of the animals to adjust to certain environmental conditions is called
adaptation.

The earth is covered with large, distinct areas such as deserts, oceans, forests, and caves. Each of these
areas is called a biome. Biomes are inhabited by several kinds of animals.

Animals That Live on Land Habitats

Animals that live entirely on land habitats are predominantly called terrestrial animals.

Rainforest Animals

- Philippine forests are inhabited by different kinds of animals, wild and tame alike. A wide variety
of mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles can be found in this particular habitat. These animals
survive in the forest because it is their natural home. They get their food and all the things that
they need. They can also protect themselves from their enemies by hiding in the forest.
- The tarsier, the smallest primate in the world, is 90 to 120 mm (3.5-6.25 inches) in height and
weighs between 70 and 165 grams. With their big eyes, they have very acute night vision, which
makes them good night hunters while their big ears can move in the direction of any noise.
- The Philippine eagle inhabits the mountain forests of Luzon, Leyte, Samar, and Mindanao. They
build their nest high in one of the giant trees 30 meters away from the ground. Their food consists
mostly of large snakes, hornbills, wild cats, flying lemurs, and monkeys. Most of the time, eagles
hide in the forest to protect themselves from hunters and other enemies. Because of deforestation
or illegal logging, the area to hide became rather small. The tarsiers and the Philippine eagles are
now considered endangered species. Other endangered animals in the Philippines today are wild
boar (baboy-damo), soft-shelled turtle (pawikan), python (sawa), and deer (usa).

Desert Animals

- The desert is a harsh environment with very little rainfall and extreme temperature. Water is very
limited that when it rains, water immediately seeps underground because of its loose and sandy
soil. Considering this harsh condition, the desert is still rich with different kinds of animals.
- Some deserts get very hot during the day and very cold during the night. Animals that live in the
desert have adapted to cope with the lack of water, extreme temperature, and even shortage of
food.
- Many desert animals are nocturnal and stay deep underground in burrows like antelopes, squirrels,
bobcats, jackrabbits, and coyotes. Animals like camels, armadillos, and antelopes can survive for a
long time without drinking. Lizards and snakes can stand the high temperature because of their
rough scales that protect them from the heat of the sun. Some desert animals have concentrated
their body's fat in one place, such as a hump or tail just like in a camel, rather than having it all
throughout the body. This fat increases their body heat.

Mountain Animals
 - Just like deserts, mountains are a challenging environment for animals to live in with the presence
of steep cliffs and barren rocks, scarce vegetation, and extreme temperature. There are three ways
for them to deal with extreme cold conditions: through hibernation, migration, or by seeking
shelter underground or under the snow. Elk and bighorn sheep migrate to avoid the deep snows.
- Mountain goats and alpine goats have specially designed hooves which enable them to travel over
rough, rocky terrain at great speed. Llamas, which are part of the camel family, have feet that are
padded with tough leathery soles to protect them from sharp mountainous rocks and slippery
ground. They have three stomach compartments that enable them to travel long distances without
water.

Grassland Animals

- The grasslands, also known as prairies and savannas, are areas where vegetation is dominated by
grass and herbaceous plants which become a natural habitat of a large number of animals living on
it. Because of the open landscape and the widely spaced trees, grasslands are home to large herds
of grazing mammals such as zebras, bison, rabbits, and antelopes. It also becomes the home of
many insects like butterflies, grasshoppers, moths, beetles, and other invertebrates such as
caterpillars and snails. Birds such as the fieldfare, skylark, and rook are also seen in such places.

Animals That Live in Water Habitats

Water is also a habitat for a great variety of animals. Animals that live in water habitats are called aquatic
animals. These are groups of animals that are either vertebrates or invertebrates that live in water most or
all of their life. The aquatic environment is divided into two types, namely, the seawater or marine
environment and the freshwater environment. The seawater environment includes the seas and oceans. The
freshwater environment includes streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds. The Earth's surface is covered with 2/3
water, therefore, the aquatic habitat is considered as the largest biome of these types of animals on Earth.

Saltwater Animals or Marine Environment.

Different kinds of animals live in salt water. These include fish, turtles, dolphins, saltwater crocodiles,
and whales like sperm whale, blue whale, killer whale, and humpback and humpback.
Mammals like whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions developed small ears and appendages
(flippers) in order to adapt on their aquatic environment.

Adapting to their own habitat depends on their body structures. Polar fish, for example, evolved a natural
form of antifreeze in their blood and tissue. This substance helps prevents ice crystals from forming, even
below freezing point where the fish is able to survive.

Freshwater Environment

There are countless animal species around the world that live in streams, rivers, and lakes. These often
become the home of a variety of species from insects to amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, and even
mammals. Rivers tend to contain large animals that can cope with strong currents, along with some animals
like crabs and birds that eat the fish beneath the water's surface. Many kinds of reptiles like snakes and
lizards, and even crustaceans such as yabbies, live in, on, and near freshwater habitats. Frogs, turtles, and
tortoises are generally found near rivers, ponds, streams, and wetlands. For some animals, water serves as
their protection from the intense heat of the sun. Other animals use water as a place to escape land enemies.
Water is also the hunting areas for many animals.

Animals' Structural and Behavioral Adaptation in Their Natural Habitat

To make animals suited to their environment or on the place where they live, they use different body
structures and behavioral adaptation.

Specialized structures that they use in feeding:

- Birds like pelicans, kingfishers, ducks, and woodpeckers use their beaks in obtaining their food.
- Leeches use their suckers in seeping the blood of their host.
- Big animals such as lions and tigers use their strong fangs and molars in tearing flesh and breaking
the bones of their prey.
- Insects like butterflies use their proboscis in obtaining nectars from flowers.

Disguise or camouflage as a means of luring their prey:

- A chameleon changes its color depending on where it is hiding.

- A praying mantis changes its color to green when resting on a leaf.
- Hornets and wasps develop bold colors that make them easily visible to warn their enemies not to
touch them.
- A hawkmoth looks like a dead leaf, tattered and veined.

Specialized structures used for grasping, apprehending, killing prey, and for self-defense:

- Sharp claws are used by bears and lions.

- Poison stingers are used by scorpions and centipedes.
- Sharp talons are used by hawks and owls for self-defense.
- Hard outer shells protect the crabs and sea turtles from enemies.
- Horns of cows, goats, and carabaos are used to fight enemies.
- Horses use their hooves, while deer use their antlers.
- Sharp teeth are used for biting by dogs.
Keen senses used for hunting food:
- A snake smells using its tongue.
- Using its feelers, an insect like a female mosquito senses the warmth of its victim for blood
sucking.
- Their sense of hearing is what bats use at night or inside a dark cave. They send out a faint sound
that echoes back and serves as their guide as they fly in dark places without bumping into
anything. This is what we call echolocation.
- Big round eyes are what owls use to see very well in the dark to hunt food.
- Eagles and hawks use their sharp eyes to catch their prey; they can see small animals in a long
distance even when they are soaring high.

Poison and secretion of distasteful substances:

- Using their tabular sharp teeth called fangs, snakes like the cobra secrete poison called venom.
- Chemical sprays with foul odor are released by skunks, while dark ink is released by squids and
octopuses to help them escape from their predators and enemies.
- A ladybug has an unpleasant taste, which is why it is not eaten by birds.
- Caterpillars have an unpleasant flavor, which saves them from being eaten.
- Larger animals seldom eat toads because they secrete a distasteful substance.

Some animals attack their enemies or prey in large numbers:

- When provoked, bees and wasps attack their intruders in large numbers to protect their hive or
colony.
 - Big swarms of locusts drive away animals that come into their path.
- To keep attackers in safe distance, herds of cattle stand in a circle together.

Classification of Animals According to Body Temperature

Animals can be classified into two groups according to their body temperature. These are the cold-blooded
animals and the warm-blooded animals.

Cold-blooded animals are animals whose body temperature goes with the temperature of their
environment. Very low or hot temperatures can harm animals. When it is too hot or cold, frogs, toads, and
other amphibians hibernate or rest at the bottom of water forms like ponds. When the ponds dry up,
they hide in the mud. After long months, they come out thin and hungry.’
Warm-blooded animals have a body temperature that remains almost constant if the temperature
changes. Birds and mammals have adapted to places where the weather may be very warm or very cold.
Warm-blooded animals are protected from cold weather by their outer covering. Birds have feathers.
Heat is trapped in the body by the feathers that help in keeping them warm. The fur in mammals reduce
the amount of body heat they lose. Polar bears can live in icy regions because of their thick fur along
with their insulating fats. Birds sometimes shed off their feathers. This is called molting. When the
temperature becomes too cold, birds move to places with warmer weather and where there is enough
food. This is called migration. They return to their former habitat when the weather becomes warm and
food becomes plentiful again.
Choosing Animals to Raise in a Particular Environment
Animals living particularly in a certain habitat need specific conditions in order to survive. Certain
species respond differently. They have their unique set of preferences or requirements, which include
temperature, availability of resources such as food and water, characteristic of soil, enemies,
competitors, and pollinators.
Domesticated animals are those found living together with humans. They are sufficiently comfortable
with people that they become people's companions. Examples of these domesticated animals are dogs,
cats, and rabbits.
Livestock are domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting like farmlands. They are being
produced as food, fiber, and labor commodities. They are generally raised for profit and agriculture. Their
breeding and living conditions are controlled by man. The most common livestock are cattle, sheep, pigs,
poultry, and goats.
Body Movements of Different Animals in Their Habitat
Animals living in their own particular habitat have their own unique body movements. They greatly
depend on the type of habitat or environment they are in. Animals adapt differently whether they are in
an aquatic environment or terrestrial environment.
Body Movements of Terrestrial Animals
There are three basic forms of locomotion or movements of animals living in a terrestrial habitat.
- Legged or moving using the appendages is basically the form of locomotion being used by the
greatest number of animals living on land. Vertebrates and arthropods are examples of these
animals. Generally, they use their legs in standing, running, walking, jumping, galloping, and
sprawling.
 - Limbless locomotion or simply moving without legs is the movement referred to as "slithering"
or "crawling" with the use of their body to generate force.
- Animals such as snakes, slugs, snails, earthworms, and leeches are some examples of limbless
animals. All limbless animals come from cold-blooded groups. There are no limbless warm-
blooded animals.
- Rolling means rotating the body. It consists of a small number of animals that roll their whole
body either under the force of gravity or those that roll using their own power. Examples of
such rolling animals are salamanders, toads, beetles, spiders, and pangolins. They usually do
this rolling movement to protect themselves against enemies.
Body Movements of Aquatic Animals
The aquatic locomotion of animals is a movement through water either by swimming or contact in the
bottom or other surfaces. Most invertebrates, especially mollusks, propel themselves in water using
their smooth and slimy skin. They use the paddle mechanism wherein soft body parts are pressed
against the water.
In order to move in water, fish rely on their skeleton, fins, and muscles. A fish's skull acts as a fulcrum
and its vertebrate as the lever. Invertebrates like shrimps, crawl and swim with short bursts of their tail.
On the other hand, jellyfish swim using a form of jet bursts even without backbones and fins. Mammals
like whales, dolphins, manatees, seals, and sea lions use their flexible bodies to swim.

WHAT TO DO
Analyze each statement carefully. Circle the best answer that describes the
following statements:

1. A suitable environment for an organism-like an animal-to live in is called ___________

a. Environment
b. Habitat
c. Home
d. Savanna
2. What is the habitat of aquatic animals?
a. Air
b. Land
c. Trees
d. Water
3. What adaptation does an octopus have to escape predators?
a. What adaptation does an octopus have to escape predators?
b. sharp claws for defending itself
c. long tentacles for picking up large rocks
d. ink spray cloud that distracts its predator while it escapes
4. Sea turtles have many adaptations. Which of the following adaptations help
sea turtles to stay safe from predators?
a. large eyes
b. long neck
c. flipper-like feet
d. hard outer shell
5. Which of the following adaptations best help a pelican catch its prey?
a. grey color
 b. long wings
c. long beak
d. small feet

Plants exist in different sizes, shapes, and colors, but most of them share similar characteristics.
They are found almost everywhere, living and surviving in different environmental conditions.

Plants That Live on Land or in Water Habitats and Their Adaptation

Like any individual and animals around, plants also adapt to their environment for survival.
Survival means the struggle to remain living and the ability to cope with the demands of the living
environment or natural habitat. There are certain conditions that plants need in order to live and
survive. These conditions are: (1) plants must compete with other plants for light, water, air, and
soil; (2) potential plants need to compete with humans and animals for two reasons: plants are food
sources, and humans and animals can make the environment where they live not fit for them; and
(3) the physical environment itself may be unfriendly or inadequate to meet the plants' needs.

The variation of plants primarily depends on their natural home or habitat. The ways they adapt in
order to survive and live vary, too, based on their special features and characteristics.

Specialized Structures of Terrestrial and Aquatic Plants

Desert Plants

The desert is a very dry and often hot place for plants to live in. In this type of habitat, the plants
are exposed to extremely hot temperature and drought conditions. Winds are often strong; soil is
often sandy or rocky and unable to hold much water; there is a lot of direct sunlight shining; and
the rest of the year is very dry. Furthermore, plants must cope with extensive water loss.

But still, some plants can adapt to this kind of environmental condition, just like the following
plants with their special characteristics:

- Succulent plants store water in their leaves or stem, like cacti.

- Some plants have no leaves or only have small seasonal leaves that grow after it rains. These
leafless plants conduct photosynthesis in their green stem.
 - Plants that require less energy grow slowly. They do not make much food, which is why they do
not lose much water.
- Long roots spread out wide or go deeper in the ground to absorb water.
- Some plants have spines to discourage animals from eating plants for water.

Temperate Grassland or Prairie Plants

Temperate grasslands or prairie plants are exposed to two kinds of weather conditions: the hot summers
and cold winters. Rainfall is uncertain, but drought is common. Its soil is extremely rich in organic
materials, which in turn, enriches the soil. Other special features of adapting toward its natural habitat are
as follows:

- Soft stems enable grass to bend with the wind.

- Prairie grasses have narrow leaves that lose less water.
- Some prairie leaves have thick bark to resist fire.
- The upper portion of the ground grass may perish during a fire, but the root portion survives and
sprouts again.
- Prairie shrubs sprout again after a fire.
- Grass is wind pollinated.

Tropical Rainforest Plants

In this type of habitat, plants grow rapidly and quickly using organic materials left behind by decomposing
plants and animals. There is a great amount of diversity in plant species found in the rainforest. Their
adaptations are characterized as follows:

- Some plants climb and/or grow on other plants to reach sunlight.

- Plants have shallow roots to help capture nutrients from the soil.
- Prop roots help support plants in the shallow soil.
- Drip tips and waxy surfaces of leaves help shed excess water.
- Flowers on the forest floor are designed to lure pollinators.

Temperate Rainforest Plants

The temperate rainforest plants receive a lot of rainfall. The dominant plant species seen in this
type of habitat are the large evergreen trees. Trees can grow very tall in this very moist environment. Cool
temperatures lead to a slow decomposition, but some of them live on other plants to reach the sunlight.

These plants are called epiphytes. Mosses and ferns live atop other plants to reach sunlight.

Temperate Deciduous Forest Plants

A temperate deciduous forest is made up of layers of plants that depend on certain factors such as climate,
soil, and the age of the forest. Fallen dry leaves, twigs, and other dried plant parts usually cover the
ground, decompose, and help add nutrients to the topsoil that make the plants healthier. Many trees have
thick barks to protect against the cold weather. Wildflowers grow on the forest floor while deciduous trees
drop their leaves to minimize water loss.

Tundra Plants

In a tundra habitat, plant life is dominated by mosses, grasses, and sedges. A little plant diversity is seen
due to a year-round cold temperature. Mostly, tundra plants are low growing, covered with hair-like
structures, and are seen in clumps to help conserve heat. They are dark in color-mostly red-which helps
them absorb heat from the sun. They are usually small and low growing due to lack of nutrients.
Taiga Plants

The taiga habitat is mostly dominated by conifers, most of which are evergreen. It has cold winters and hot
summers. The soil is acidic and the minerals are poor. The shape of many coniferous trees helps shed heavy
snow to save branches from breaking. Many trees have needle-like leaves with waxy coating that prevent
excessive water evaporation.

Aquatic Plants

Many aquatic plants can survive with a minimum water supply. The dead or dried-out plant material is
sufficient enough for a new plant to grow once water is available. Many are able to live for an extended
period of time and wait for the opportunity to grow using their seeds and spores. Others use animals like
birds and insects for pollination to take place.

There are certain characteristics that aquatic plants possess in order to survive and adapt to their natural
habitat. Some of these are the following:

- softness of leaves and stems that aids propagation by pieces, breaking off and regrowing
- type of root system that holds the plant or allows it to move
- gaseous exchange that aids flotation of leaves and stems
- surface area to the number of leaves for flotation and ability to seek sunlight
- waxiness of leaves to protect the plant against transpiration and saturation
- hardness and stiffness for uprightness or erectness to stand tall and get above other plants for
sunlight and to protect them from damage when the water flows
- propagation methods for transportation of seeds or plant parts; flowers that float, move with the
breeze, or attach to birds and insects
- ability to quickly recover from drying out

Plant Structural and Behavioral Adaptation in Their Natural Habitat

Plants can survive and adapt in their habitat with their different environmental conditions because they can
protect themselves from enemies and predators to reproduce their own kind.

Different plants have different structural behaviors for adaptation. Structural adaptations are physical
features such as the body, shape, color, and any other structure in relation to the body of a plant.

Chemical defenses of plants:

- Poison ivy produce urushiol to protect them from herbivores. In humans, this chemical produces an
allergic skin rash and blister formation, known as urushiol-induced contact dermatitis.
- Foxgloves produce several deadly chemicals, namely, cardiac and steroidal glycosides. Ingestion
can cause nausea, vomiting, hallucination, convulsions, and even death.
- Black walnuts produce juglone, a chemical that interferes with the normal development of other
plants like the tomato.

Physical defenses of plants:

- Cactus plants have spines, which are actually modified leaves. These spines are and they protect
the plant from birds and other animals that would graze on them.
- Bamboos have comparatively bigger thorns that warn people and animals not to touch them. In
makahiya plants, their thorny stems keep grazing animals away. Rosebushes, on the other hand,
have the same kind of prickles, also called thorns.
- Fern plants or paco have leaves with stomata at the bottom that lose water slower
than leaves with stomata at the top.
Plants

There are rare, threatened, and endangered plants. One of which is the world's largest single flower that
belongs to the genus of parasitic flowering plants with no stem, leaves, or true roots known as rafflesia. It
is also known as the corpse flower or meat flower because of its rotten flesh smell.

Each species mostly has separate male and female flowers that attract insects, such as flies, which help in
its pollination processes.

In 2002, a rafflesia flower was found in Antique and Mountain Province in the
Philippines.

Animals

Do you know that there are animals that appear to be dead when faced with danger? This act is what we
call "playing opossum." An example of such animal is the American opossum, which was the first one to be
noted to pretend to be dead or injured to protect itself from its predator or enemy.