A habitat is the place where an animal or plant can find what it needs to live, including food, water, and shelter. There are all sorts of different habitats around the world. One of the most important habitats is tropical rainforest, because so many different types of animal and plant live in it. Tropical rainforest is mostly found in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Habitats change over time. This may be due to a violent event such as the eruption of a volcano, an earthquake, a tsunami, a wildfire or a change in oceanic currents; or the change may be more gradual over millennia with alterations in the climate, as ice sheets and glaciers advance and retreat, and as different weather patterns bring changes of precipitation and solar radiation. Other changes come as a direct result of human activities; deforestation, the plowing of ancient grasslands, the diversion and damming of rivers, the draining of marshland and the dredging of the seabed. The introduction of alien species can have a devastating effect on native wildlife, through increased predation, through competition for resources or through the introduction of pests and diseases to which the native species have no immunity.
Food
Animals need food to live and grow. All habitats contain plants, which make food from sunlight. Animals either eat plants or other animals, or both plants and animals.
Water
All living things need water. Rain and snow can both be sources of fresh water. In places with little water, the water inside food can help animals survive.
Shelter
Depending on the type of habitat, a shelter can be a tree, burrow, nest, or rock. Animals seek shelter to hide from predators and escape extreme heat or cold.
Orangutans
The rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia are the only places where orangutans live. They eat fruit, leaves, and flowers, and drink from rain-soaked leaves. They also build nests in the trees to sleep in.
Rainforest dwellers
Rainforests are bursting with life. The warm, wet weather is perfect for plants, which means plenty of food for animals. Birds nest in the treetops, monkeys swing from the branches, and big predators, such as leopards, stalk the forest floor.
Giant rainforest mantis
One of Australia’s largest mantises, this fierce insect has a big appetite. It feasts on other insects such as butterflies and dragonflies.
Monkey-tailed skink
A skilled climber, the monkey-tailed skink lives in the Solomon Islands, near Australia. It feeds on fruit and leaves, using its flexible tail to cling to branches.
Picture Credit : Google
