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Biological ScienceEcosystemsYear 2 Science

Habitats: where living things live

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What this lesson covers

  • A habitat is the place where a living thing lives
  • A habitat gives food, water, shelter and space
  • New Zealand has many habitats, from forests and streams to beaches and wetlands
  • Looking carefully at a small habitat
  • Counting, about how many of each kind of living thing
Key idea

What is a habitat?

  • A habitat is the place where a living thing lives.
  • A good habitat gives it food, water, shelter and a safe place to raise its young.
  • A tūī lives in forest, where it feeds on nectar from flowers.
  • A pāua lives on rocks in the sea, where it eats seaweed.
Key idea

Habitats in New Zealand

  • New Zealand has many different habitats, and each one has its own living things.
HabitatWhat it is likeWho lives there
ForestTall trees, shady and dampTūī, kererū, wētā
StreamCool, flowing fresh waterKōura, eels
Sandy beachSand, waves and salty waterSand hoppers, gulls, tuatua
Rocky shoreRocks and rock poolsPāua, crabs, sea anemones
WetlandWet, muddy ground with reedsPūkeko, frogs
Tussock grasslandOpen, dry and windySkinks, grasshoppers
Key idea

Try it: who lives where?

Key idea

Each living thing suits its habitat

  • Different living things use different parts of the same habitat.
  • In a stream, a kōura (freshwater crayfish) hides under stones, an eel swims in the deeper water, and ferns grow on the damp bank.
  • A kōura needs cool, clean water. It could not live on a dry beach.
A stream habitat seen from the side: ferns on the bank, an eel swimming in the water, and a kōura hiding under a stone on the stream bed
Key idea

Looking at a small habitat

  • A habitat can be as small as the ground under a log.
  • Mark out a square with string, about one big step along each side.
  • Look slowly and carefully, because small animals hide.
  • Count each kind of living thing. If there are too many to count, give a sensible guess, like about 20.
  • Put logs and stones back gently, the way you found them.
Worked example

Under the log

  • Room 1 marked out a square under an old log at school and counted the animals they found.
AnimalHow many
Ants9
Slaters7
Worms3
Snails2
Spiders1
A picture graph of Room 1's count under a log: 9 ants, 7 slaters, 3 worms, 2 snails and 1 spider, one circle for each animal
  1. Most: ants, 9biggest number
  2. Fewest: spiders, 1smallest number
  3. 5 kinds of animal, and ants were the most common
Key idea

Try it: the animals under the log

Worked example

Log or lawn?

  • Room 1 then counted in a square of the same size on the open lawn.
AnimalUnder the logOn the lawn
Ants94
Slaters70
Worms30
Snails20
Spiders11
  1. Under the log: 5 kinds of animalcount the kinds
  2. On the lawn: 2 kinds of animalants and a spider
  3. The dark, damp log gave more shelter, so more kinds of animal lived there

Common mistakes

  • A habitat is just an animal's nest or burrow.
    A habitat is the whole place it lives, including where it finds food and water, not only its nest.
  • Any animal can live anywhere if it has food.
    Each living thing needs its own conditions; a kōura needs cool water and would die on a dry beach.
  • I looked once, so I counted everything.
    Small animals hide under leaves and stones, so look slowly and count more than once.
Try it at home

A backyard habitat hunt

You need: string or 4 sticks, paper, a pencil, a magnifying glass if you have one

  1. With an adult, choose a spot in a garden or park, such as under a bush or beside a log.
  2. Mark out a square about one big step on each side.
  3. Look slowly for 10 minutes and make a tally for each kind of animal you find.
  4. Gently lift a stone or log, look underneath, and put it back the way it was.
  5. Look for this: which animal did you find most, and was the spot damp or dry, dark or sunny?

Safety: Go with an adult, look but do not touch spiders, bees, wasps or mushrooms, and wash your hands when you come inside.

Your turn

1

What is a habitat?

2

Which habitat suits a pāua?

3

Under Room 1's log, which animal did they count most of?

4

How many slaters were on the lawn?

5

Why did more kinds of animal live under the log than on the lawn?

Show answer

1. The place where a living thing lives. 2. A rocky shore. 3. Ants, 9 of them. 4. 0, none. 5. The log is dark and damp and gives shelter.

Summary

Recap

  • A habitat is the place where a living thing lives.
  • It gives food, water, shelter and space.
  • New Zealand has forests, streams, beaches, rocky shores, wetlands and grasslands.
  • Each living thing suits its own habitat.
  • We study a small habitat by looking slowly and counting each kind of living thing.
Maths

The maths behind it

Year 2 MathsCollecting Data and Making Tally ChartsYear 2 MathsPicture Graphs and Dot Plots
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