Animal Homes
What Types of Homes do Animals Have?
Word of the Week
Burrow
Burrows are tunnel-like underground shelters.
Many small animals dig burrows, such as prairie dogs, meerkats, tortoises, Gila monsters, and more!
Species Spotlight
Weaverbirds
Family: Ploceidae
Weaverbirds are a large family of songbirds (more than 100 species!) that are native to Africa and Asia. These small birds are named for their ability to weave leaves, grass, twigs, and other materials into intricate nests. Many species make nests that look like hanging baskets with a downward-facing entrance. Some species, like the sociable weaver, build their nests together in large structures that act like bird apartment buildings. Up to 300 sociable weaver pairs can be found in a single nest! For many species of weaverbirds, males build the nest and use it to attract a mate. Like in many bird species, some weaverbird species are brightly colored, while females tend to be duller. In some weaverbird species, males will become brighter only during the breeding season. If the female is wooed by the male's bright colors and nest-building skills, she will move in to mate, lay her eggs, and raise her chicks in the nest.
Conservation Corner
The Importance of Animal Homes
Shelters keep wild animals safe from predators and harsh weather and give them somewhere safe to raise their offspring. But some animal shelters are important for the whole ecosystem to function properly!
Beavers build sturdy dams that block the flow of water down rivers and flood the ecosystem around them. The flooded forest filters water (cleans the river!) and provides homes and hunting grounds for animals like frogs, ducks, otters, and so many others.
Prairie dogs build elaborate burrows deep underground. Their burrow systems are made of many different pathways with rooms all used for different purposes. Prairie dog burrows allow oxygen to travel through the soil (which helps plants grow). They also spread seeds and add nutrients to the soil in their waste.
Ants homes do a lot of the same things prairie dog burrows do, just on a smaller scale! Ant hills can reach as far as 25 feet underground. Like in prairie dog burrows, these tunnels allow oxygen to travel deep underground. Many ants are also decomposers, so they are constantly breaking down dead matter and returning it to the Earth as nutrients.
BRAIN BLAST
Identify 3 animal homes in your local ecosystem! Does the animal make the shelter or steal/borrow a shelter? Does it have any adaptations that help it to build a shelter?
How to Build a Shelter
Match each animal below with the adaptation that helps it build its shelter.
Animal Homes Challenge
Investigate animal shelters in your local environment!
Glossary
Burrow
A tunnel-like underground shelter.
Coral Reef
An ocean ecosystem formed by large clusters of individual corals.
Dam
A structure created to block the flow of water down rivers or streams.
Lodge
The dome-shaped shelter created by beavers in the pond created by their dam.
Nest
A shelter created by birds (and other organisms) used to lay eggs and raise offspring.
Offspring
New organisms created by other organisms.
Polyp
A form of simple, invertebrate animal in the phylum Cnidaria.
Shelter
A structure created or used by animals for protection.
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