Read

A habitat is a place where an organism makes its home and finds all the conditions it needs to survive. Its main parts are shelter, water, food and space.

Features that help a living thing survive in its habitat are called adaptations. The Arctic fox has very short ears and a short tail, so it does not lose too much body heat.

Camels are adapted to the desert: wide feet with two toes spread their weight so they do not sink in sand, and their noses take back moisture from each breath. Camels can lose up to 30% of their body weight in water, and a dromedary camel can travel 161 km without a drink.

Experiment: Do woodlice prefer damp or dry?

1. Cover one half of the tray with damp paper towel and the other half with dry paper towel. Cover the whole tray the same way, so both sides are equally dark.
2. Plan the fair test: what are you changing? What must stay the same on both sides?
3. Gently put the woodlice in the middle of the tray using the paintbrush or spoon.
4. Every 2 minutes, count how many woodlice are on the damp side and how many on the dry side. Record for 10 minutes.
5. Work out the percentage on the damp side at the end.
6. Return the woodlice to exactly where you found them, under the same log.

Time (minutes)	Woodlice on damp side	Woodlice on dry side
0
2
4
6
8
10

Questions

1. For the woodlice test, which variable did you change, and which variables did you keep the same?

2. 8 out of 10 woodlice ended on the damp side. What percentage is that?

3. Choose an animal. Describe its habitat and two of its adaptations.

4. Explain why cutting down a forest can harm birds and monkeys.

Sources for every fact on this sheet: echoesof.science/school/habitats/sources/

🖨 Print this sheet ← back to the lesson