2 Amazing Animals

Expected Learning Outcomes

Knowledge to be gained : • Habitat • Adapta ons in animals • Feeding habits of animals
• Organs for breathing and movement • Migra on
Skill to be developed : • Differen a ng animals based on their feeding habits.
A tude to be inculcated : • We should preserve all habitats.
is world is full of amazing animals. Animals are found almost everywhere—from deserts
to polar regions, and from oceans to high mountains.
In the following pictures, some animals and their places of living are given. Match them.
Animals Places to live Animals

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HABITAT
e surroundings in which an animal lives naturally is called its habitat. An animal survives
or makes its home within its habitat.
Different animals are found in different habitats. For example, wild animals, like tiger, lion,
monkey and snakes, are found in the forest. erefore, forest is the natural habitat for all
these animals.
A habitat is essentially the place where an animal feels safe and can give birth to its young
ones and bring them up safely. e main habitats for animals are discussed below:
Forest
A forest is a large area that contains trees and plants. A large variety of animals live in the
forest. Forests are home to about 80% of terrestrial animals. Different animals live at
different places in the forest. Some of them live in caves, like lions and tigers; some live on
trees, like birds and monkeys; some live in the holes of trees, like birds and squirrels; some
live in holes and burrows in the ground, like snakes and rabbits.

A tiger in a forest A rabbit in a burrow A bird on a tree

Desert
Deserts are very dry places. Deserts do not have
sufficient water sources or green vegetation. During
the day, deserts are hot while at night they are cool.
Desert animals have some special body features to
survive there. Some of them, like badger, bury
themselves under the ground during the day to cool
themselves. Other animals, like Gila monsters, have a
thick skin to avoid water loss through sweating.
Camel is found in the desert. It stores fat in the hump
and uses it as food when needed. It can live without
food and water for many weeks. Camel in a desert

e long legs of a camel help it to keep its body away from the heat of the sand. ey also
have long eyelashes to protect their eyes from the blowing sand.
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 Polar Regions and Mountains
Polar regions and high mountains are very cold places.
ey are covered with snow. Animals like polar bear,
seal, penguin and snow leopards are found in these
regions. ey are able to survive there because they
have special features to withstand cold. For example,
they have a layer of fat under their skin to keep
themselves warm. Some of them have a thick fur too. A polar bear
Oceans
Oceans cover two-third of the Earth's surface.
It is the largest habitat on the Earth. A large
variety of shes are found in the oceans. Blue
whale, octopus, shark, etc., are found there.
A whale
Fresh Water
Rivers, lakes, ponds, etc., are called fresh
water habitats. Aquatic animals like fish,
frog and salamander are found there. Frog
and salamander can live both on land and in
water. They are called amphibians.

A frog A salamander

CHECK YOURSELF
Tick (3) the correct option:

1. The surroundings in which an animal naturally lives is called its _________________.

(a) polar region (b) habitat (c) adaptation
2. Which of the following is an aquatic animal?
(a) Whale (b) Penguin (c) Camel
3. Which of the following is an amphibian?
(a) Bear (b) Shark (c) Salamander

ADAPTATIONS IN ANIMALS
Special features that allow an organism to survive in a particular area are known as
adaptations. In other words, adaptations help an animal to survive in its habitat. The most
common adaptations may be seen in an animal’s body covering, feeding habits, breathing
organs and movements.
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Body Coverings
Like human beings, animals do not wear clothes to protect themselves from harsh weather
conditions. For this purpose, nature has provided them with a body covering that helps
them to survive in a particular habitat. ey use this covering to protect themselves from
extreme cold and hot weather. ey also use their body coverings to protect themselves
from being hunted by other animals. Body coverings of different animals have different
names.
1. Scales
Bodies of shes and reptiles are covered with
scales. Scales vary in size, shape and structure. e
scales of shrimp are rigid while eels have no scales.
Most of the reptiles have horny scales to prevent
water loss. Snakes also have scales. ey use their
scales to move on land. ey also shed their skin
periodically, which is replaced by a new one.
Scales of a fish

2. Shell
A shell is a hard outer layer that protects
animals when they are in danger. Animals like
snails, tortoise and turtle have a shell. Shells of
some animals like turtle are very hard. ey can
support a very heavy weight. When these
animals are in danger, they withdraw their
heads and limbs into their shells.
Shell of a tortoise

3. Feathers
Feathers cover the body of birds. ey help
them during their ight and also give them
shape. Birds use their feathers to keep
themselves warm and to protect themselves
from rain. All birds have three types of
feathers, namely— ight feathers, down
feathers and body feathers. Feathers of different birds

4. Fur or Wool
Animals like sheep and bear have wool and
fur that cover their bodies. ick fur
protects bear from rain and cold. In the
same way, sheep's hair keep them warm
when it is cold.
A sheep
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 5. Camou age
We know that some animals like tiger, zebra and grasshopper
have a special body covering. ey can merge their body
covering with their surroundings. is property is called
camou age and these animals are called camou aging
animals. Camou age makes animals hard to spot and protect
them from other hunting animals and poachers (illegal
hunters). Some animals like chameleon can even change their
colour to match their surroundings.
A zebra

CHECK YOURSELF
Tick (3) the correct option:
1. Which of the following has no scales?
(a) Shrimp (b) Eel (c) Snake
2. Which of the following has a shell?
(a) Snail (b) Turtle (c) Both
3. Which of the following animals show camouflage?
(a) Turtle (b) Whale (c) Grasshopper

FEEDING HABITS
We know that animals need food to live. Different animals have different feeding habits.
ey depend on plants and other animals. Some animals eat plants, some eat the esh of
other animals, while some eat both plants as well as other animals. On the basis of their
feeding habits, we can divide them into three types.

Herbivorous animals Carnivorous animals Omnivorous animals

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1. e animals that eat only plants are called herbivores or herbivorous animals. Cows,
goat and deer are herbivores.
2. e animals that eat the esh of other animals are called carnivores or carnivorous
animals. Lion, tiger and wolf are carnivores.
3. e animals that eat both plants and other animals are called omnivores or
omnivorous animals. Fox, bear and crow are omnivores.

ORGANS FOR BREATHING

All living things need to breathe to get oxygen. ey take oxygen
from their surroundings and release carbon dioxide. e Spiracles
terrestrial animals take oxygen from the atmosphere, while
aquatic animals take oxygen dissolved in water.
A grasshopper
All mammals, birds, reptiles, adult amphibians and human beings
breathe through lungs. Air reaches the lungs through their nose. Gills for
breathing
Insects have tiny holes on their bodies. ese holes are called
spiracles. Insects breathe through spiracles. Aquatic animals like
shes, prawns and crabs breathe with the help of gills.
An adult frog breathes through its moist skin when it is under
water. But on land it breathes through its lungs. Earthworm also
breathes through its moist skin. A fish

MOVEMENT
Animals can move from place to place. Different animals use different organs for
movement. Some animals have legs to move. Dogs, cats, lions and human beings move with
the help of their legs.
Fishes move with the help of their ns, while frogs use their back legs to hop and their
webbed feet to swim.
Birds can y with the help of their wings. ey also use their legs to move or hop.
Insects like butter y, re y and grasshopper can y with their wings. But, insects like ants,
beetles and bugs move with their legs.

Fins

Wings for flying Fins for swimming Legs for walking

A bird A fish A lion
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 Snakes have scales to crawl while reptiles like lizards, tortoises have limbs (legs) to move.
Animals like penguins and seals swim with the help of ippers.

A Snake A lizard Penguins A seal

Reptiles Flippers for swimming

MIGRATION
Migration is de ned as the movement of an
animal from one region to another, in
response to changes in weather, habitat or
availability of food. is happens at regular
periods of time and during a particular season.
Animals migrate because the conditions in
their habitat become too cold or too hot, or the
available food become scarce. Some animals
migrate for reproductive reasons. ey
migrate to a suitable place to give birth to their
young ones. Migration of birds
Usually the word ‘migration’ is more closely associated with the movement of birds. Birds
migrate twice in a year during spring and autumn. But only some birds migrate, not all. e
birds that migrate are called migratory birds, while the ones that do not migrate are called
resident birds. e main reason behind their migration is to escape the extreme cold
weather conditions and to nd food. ey come back to the original habitat each year. For
example, the Siberian Crane nests near the north pole in summer and ies all the way to
India in autumn to escape harsh cold conditions.
Besides birds, some other animals like caribou, elk,
some bats, whales, etc., too migrate in search of food.
Among insects, butter ies and moths also migrate. A
very common example is the Monarch butter y that
migrates from Canada to Mexico during winter.

• The word migra on comes, from the La n word

Do
You ? ‘migratus’ which means ‘to change’.
• Migra ng ducks and geese o en fly in V-shape
Monarch butterfly Know forma ons which help them in saving energy.

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New words
Habitat : surroundings in which animals naturally live
Desert : a hot and dry place
Scales : thin overlapping plates that cover and protect fish and rep les
Gills : breathing organs of fish

SUMMARY
v Our world is full of amazing animals.
v The surroundings in which an animal naturally lives is called its habitat.
v A large variety of animals live in forests.
v Ocean is the largest habitat in the world.
v Herbivores eat plants; carnivores eat the flesh of other animals; while omnivores eat both
plants and animals.
v All the mammals, birds, reptiles, adult amphibians and human beings breathe through
lungs.
v Fish move with the help of their fins.
v Snakes have scales to crawl.
v Migratory birds migrate twice in a year during spring and autumn.

Exercise
A. Select the best alternative for each of the following:
1. Camel stores fat in their ________________.
(a) hump (b) stomach (c) skin
2. Penguins are found in ________________.
(a) forests (b) polar regions (c) deserts
3. Animals living in water are known as ________________.
(a) amphibians (b) reptiles (c) aquatic animals
4. Animals that eat both plants and animals are called ________________.
(a) herbivores (b) omnivores (c) carnivores
B. Circle the odd one:
1. Lion Tiger Camel
2. Octopus Frog Shark
3. Bug Butter y Fire y
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 C. Answer the following questions:
1. Why do animals live in different types of habitats?
2. How do the body coverings of animals help them?
3. Do all animals move in the same way?
4. Which habitat is dry and hot?
5. Name the breathing organ in insects.
D. Fill in the blanks:
1. ________________ are very cold. (Polar regions/Deserts)
2. In desert, some animals bury themselves under the ground to keep themselves
________________. (warm/cool)
3. Oceans contain ________________ water. (salty/fresh)
4. Crabs breathe with the help of their ________________. (skin/gills)
5. Snakes have ________________ to crawl. (scales/limbs)
E. Identify the animals in the pictures and write their names in the lines
provided:

________________ ________________ ________________

F. Answer the following questions in your own words:
1. Name two animals of polar regions.
2. Name two animals that have scales on their bodies.
3. What is a habitat?
4. What are amphibians?
5. What is camou age? How does it help animals?

Activity Time

A. Visit a zoo to know more

about animals and see how
they eat and move.

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B. e teacher will draw 2 circles on the oor with the help of chalks or white board
markers. One circle should be bigger than the other. e teacher will write 'R' at the
centre of the smaller circle and 'O' at the centre of the bigger circle. Here, ‘R’ means
river, and ‘O’ means ocean.
Now the teacher will ask each student to come forward and write either a freshwater
animal, or a sea animal in their respective circle. In case of an amphibian, its name
would be written in both the circles. If a student makes a mistake, their classmates
should correct it.
is game would make the concept of sea animals, freshwater animals and amphibians
clear to all the students.

Subject Link : Social Studies

We have read about migratory birds in this chapter. Every year, many migratory birds
come to India. Names of few migratory birds and the places visited by them are given
below. Match them.

1. Asian Koel (a) Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Gujarat

2. Siberian Cranes (b) Nalsarovar Lake, Gujarat
3. Greater Flamingo (c) Bharatpur, Rajasthan
4. Amur Falcon (d) Puducherry
5. King sher (e) Doyang Lake, Nagaland

Time to
Watch
Do you like watching movies? Do you watch movies with your family members? Next
time, you plan to watch a movie, ask your parents to arrange this movie: e Jungle Book.
It is the story of a boy, Mowgli, brought up in the jungle by a pack of wolves. When
Shere Khan (a tiger) threatens to kill him, Bagheera (a panther) and Baloo (a bear)
help him escape his clutches. You will also see lots of other animals who live in the jungle
like pythons, monkeys, buffaloes, elephants, porcupines, Pygmy hogs, etc.
Observe what these animals eat, where they stay and how they walk/ y.

FOOTNOTE
The teacher should tell students that animals are an integral part of our life and we should look after them in all possible
ways.

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