Animals and their Environments

Bees and Flowers Bees help to pollinate flowers. © Daniel Prudek

People need places to live. So do other animals. These places are called environments.

They have room to move or grow. They may have other plants and animals. They may have food and water. They may have other things too.

An environment needs space. That is room to move. Animals need room to grow. Many like to move around too.

Some animals live alone. Others live with their families. Others live with huge groups. More animals need more space.

Some animals do not need much space. Tiny ants may not travel far. Other animals do not like leaving home. Koalas might live in just a few trees.

Other animals like a lot of space. They may be hunters. They may travel for many miles. They look for food all over.

Shelter is a safe place to live. Humans need shelter. Most animals do also.

A shelter can be almost anything. It can be a fancy house. It can be a tent. It can even be a cave.

A shelter protects animals. It keeps out rain and snow. It helps keep animals warm. It keeps them safe from predators too.

Animals need food and water to live. A good environment will have both.

Animals like certain kinds of food. Some eat plants. Some eat animals. Some eat both. People can eat both if they want.

Animals need water also. Most drink water. Others live in the water.

There are two kinds of water. One is fresh. The other is salt water. Different animals prefer different kinds of water.