Types of animal habitats
Habitats refer to the specific types of environments which are considered ideal for the existence, growth, and development of a given animal or plant. This means that habitats are determined by the climate and geography of the area and other animals or plants living in the surroundings. Specific animals are adapted to particular habitats, and they cannot live on different habitats. This article highlights the types of habitats that animals can exist.
Terrestrial habitats
All types of habitats found on the earth all over the world are referred to as terrestrial habitats. Occur in a different setting like the ones below:
Grasslands habitats
Grasslands are a type of habitat which refuges a wide range of animals and birds. These types of habitats occur either as tropical or temperate habitats. Tropical grasslands habitats house big animals like lions, zebras, and rhinos while temperate homes animals like rabbits, snakes, and gazelles.
Tropical rainforests habitats
Rainforests’ habitats are divided as per the level or strata of the forest from the soil to the forest canopy. Thus, it starts from the forest floor through the understory and canopy layer to the emergent layer of the forest. In such forests, you will find animals like reptiles, amphibians which are found at the forest floor, leopards at the understory. At the same time, spider monkeys and parrots will be the canopy and flying animals like eagles, flying fox and king colobus at the emergent layer of the rainforest habitat.
Deserts
On the earth, there are areas covered with vast arid regions with very little or no rainfall at all and no vegetation. These are called desert habitats. Animals in these types of habitats are adapted to weather conditions, which are extremely hot and humid, and they can survive for long periods without taking water. Examples of these animals include various species of lizards.
Mountain habitats
Mountain habitats are characterized by extremely harsh conditions and can even have low food supply and icy weather conditions. However, different animals have developed special adaptive features to enable them to survive in these habitats.
Freshwater habitats
On the earth, freshwater accounts for approximately 3%, and only about 0.014% of the freshwater is found in the lakes, swamps, rivers, wetlands, brackish water and lakes as surface water where animals can find habitat. Animals found in the freshwaters are adaptive to survive in water that is ever flowing in one direction. Animals like catfish, raft spiders, common seal, kingfisher, and crocodiles, among others, live in these freshwater habitats.