Journeying Through

the Habitats
Pearl's Adventure

Written by Gabrielle Pranger

Edited by Pearl
 Contents
What is a Habitat?................... page 4

Freshwater Habitats................ page 6

Ocean Habitats....................... page 8

Desert Habitats....................... page 10

Forest Habitats....................... page 14

Glossary................................... page 16

More Information..................... page 17

 What is a Habitat?
Pearl raised her hand, “Mr.
“Animals learn how to survive in their natural habitats,” the teacher
O,” she said, “are all habitats
said. Pearl was sitting in class ready to learn as her teacher, Mr. O,
the same?”
worked to explain habitats.

“There are many different types of habitats, Pearl. There are freshwater
habitats, ocean habitats, and land habitats. Some habitats can be more
specific, like a deciduous forest habitat; a land habitat."

Click here for

more information
on habitats!

Pearl knew that a habitat was a place where plants and animals lived. She
wondered how so many different animals lived in habitats.
Pearl sat back and thought some more about habitats. She imagined
what it would be like to journey through the different habitats as her
eyes began to close.
Freshwater Habitats Click here to see
more animals that alligator
live in the Florida
Everglades.
All of a sudden, Pearl heard a bird calling, some frogs croaking, and the
gentle sound of water. “This doesn’t make sense,” she thought. As she egret
looked, up she saw that she was no longer in her classroom, but, instead,
she was in the Florida Everglades.

I wonder why it's Deer splash through

called saw grass...
the water in the marsh
to eat saw grass.

This is a bladderwort plant.

This plant has no roots, but
saw grass it catches small bugs and
other animals to eat. The
bladderwort plant drinks
them up like a soup.

Saw grass is named for

its sharp edges. The
edges are as sharp as
Lily pads and flowers
broken glass.

Sedges were growing out of the shallow water. These golden

sedges, called saw grass, grew thickly across this freshwater The Florida Everglades are filled with marshes, or wetlands. During
habitat. Pearl looked out at the sedges. The wind blew them the wet season, water flows throughout the area, and the marsh is
back and forth; it looked like the waves of the ocean. full of life. Pearl was learning a lot about fresh water habitats, but
next she wanted to find out about ocean habitats.
 Ocean Habitats
One ocean habitat is a coral reef. Many animals, like seahorses,
clown fish, and sea turtles, call coral reefs home. In fact, there are
so many different animals that live in coral reefs that some people
call them the rain forests of the sea.
Pearl began to imagine what it would be like to explore the ocean
with its different habitats. She pretended she was swimming along
the bottom of the ocean.

Look! A sea turtle!

Another ocean habitat is a kelp forest. These ocean forests are

found along the shore of the Pacific and Antarctic Oceans. These
Oceans take up over 70% of the kelp forests are made up of large, brown, rubbery plants that rise to
Earth's surface, and it's habitats the surface. Some small animals may hide from sea lions, whales,
provide food and shelter for about birds, and other animals in the leaves of the kelp.
one million different animal species.
ocean shore In the ocean, there are many areas,
or regions, that make up the
different habitats. These habitats
are based off of temperature, Sea lions swimming in the ocean.
ocean depth, and distance from the
shore.

A seahorse hiding
in some coral.
 To help them survive in
the desert, plants, like
cacti, store water in their
Desert Habitats stems. This allows them
to save water to last until
the next rain fall. Some
Pearl continued her adventure as she traveled through the desert animals will stay
hidden underground
desert habitats. Deserts are the driest places on earth. Some
during the day in order to
deserts are really hot during the day and cold at night, but stay cool, and then, when
there are other deserts that are always cold like Antarctica. A the temperature lowers,
they'll come out during
desert is not defined by its temperature. Deserts are any place
the night.
where it rarely rains or snows. Some deserts get less than 10
inches of rain a year. Antarctica is the biggest desert in
the world! Even though it’s covered Fennec Fox

in snow and ice, it rarely rains or

snows in Antarctica, which makes it
a desert.

Kangaroo rats in the Sonoran

Desert get water from the seeds
they eat. Some meat eaters, such as
desert foxes, get enough water from
their prey.

Some deserts, like those in Nevada,

Arizona, and Utah, can get hotter than
100°F during the day. During the
night, however, they get cold.
 The desert is warmest
during the middle of the day,
Wild Horses in the Desert so the horses will hike up to
a small ridge. This ridge
Pearl walked into the Red Desert where she spotted some wild horses. gives the horses a small
This desert is filled with rocky ridges and dusty sagebrush flats. Life is breeze. Pearl sits and
hard for these wild horses since there is little grass and water. watches as the horses rest.

With spring comes the birth of new

colts. The herd is brought back
Did you know that together as they sniff and welcome
some horses survive in
its newest members. However, the
the desert?
herd must be careful as they meet
the new babies.

During the early morning, older

horses will eat while the baby colts
will play with each other. Click here to
see some of the
Red Desert's
wild horses!

The herd looks out for one

another as older horse will
keep watch on high ground.
 I wonder what that
deer is doing with

Forest Habitats his antlers.

Pearl was so excited to go into some forest habitats next. “Look at all
those trees!” Pearl said. Forests are filled with trees and other plants.
A white-tail buck rubs the
This forest habitat is a deciduous forest. velvet off his newly-grown
antlers.

Otters will play as they chase each

other on river banks.

Pearl walked around feeling the crunch of the leaves below her. In
Beavers use their teeth to cut down trees to
deciduous forests the leaves die and fall off when a tree's sap flows make a dam. This beaver is using his tail for
down to the roots. This prepares the tree for winter. support as he chews down the tree.

Animals in the Forest

Woodpeckers peck into trees in
search of food or to create a
nesting site. Find out more here!
There are many animals that call the deciduous forest home. Soon,
Pearl spots a pileated woodpecker tapping on a tree.
 Glossary More Information
Come explore different
habitats with us, the Kraft
Colts: A young male horse; baby horses.
Brothers! Click here.
Coral reef: A coral reef is a ridge of coral at or near the surface of the water.

Deciduous: Deciduous means falling off. Many trees in the deciduous forests of
the eastern United States lose their leaves in the fall.

Desert: A desert is a bare area of land, especially one with little water or
Pileated Woodpeckers
plants.

Florida Everglades: A place in Florida that where you can find marshes.
Habitats and Habitat Types
Forest: A forest is an area covered with many trees, and sometimes by
bushes and other plants.
Land Habitats
Habitat A habitat is a place where plants and animals live.
:
Marshes: Marshes are low lands which are usually covered partially or entirely Habitat Facts
with water; swamp; wetland.

Kelp forest: A kelp forest is a habitat with groups of large, brown, rubbery Thank you for joining me on my
plants with hallow, globe-shape growths on the leaves that help adventure! Check out these
the plant rise to the surface. These plants are called kelp. websites for more information on
habitats!
Ocean: An ocean is a large area of salt water.

Prey: A creature that is hunted and killed for food.

Sap: Sap usually refers to the water inside a plant that carries
dissolved sugars and mineral salts.

Sedge: A sedge is any of several varieties of grass-like wetland plants

with solid triangular stems. Example: saw grass
 Credits
Exploring Land Habitats Written by Margaret Yatsevitch
Phinney and Illustrated by Terri Talas

Exploring Freshwater Habitats Written by Diane Snowball and

Illustrated by Cynthia A. Belcher

Forests by Jan Anderson

Life in the Grand Canyon by Kathy Page Barabas

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/id

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/nature/habitats/

https://www.dkfindout.com/us/animals-and-nature/habitats-
and-ecosystems/land-habitats/

http://idahoptv.org/sciencetrek/topics/habitat/facts.cfm