Animal Habitats – Types and Human Impacts on Animal Habitat

Animal Habitats are places where animals live for food, water, and shelter to survive. Animal habitats are environments where plants and other organisms live together by creating an ecosystem.

Different animals live in different habitats as per their survival needs. Each habitat has a unique set of conditions, different resources, and a set of challenges. These parameters influence the adaptations and behaviors of the animals living there. In this article, we will discuss animal habitats, their types, different animals, and related information.

What are Animal Habitats?

Animal habitats are the specific environment or location where a specific animal species live for food, water, and shelter to survive. Based on nature and living style the habitat can change for the animals. Each habitat has a unique set of conditions, different resources, and a set of challenges. These parameters influence the animal habitats and adaptations, and behaviors of the animals living there. The animal habitats can be divided further into three types. These are terrestrial habitats, aquatic habitats, and aerial habitats as we are going to discuss further.

What is a Microhabitat?

A microhabitat is a small and local environment of a larger habitat. These have some distinct and specific conditions that provide a niche for particular animals or microorganisms. Microhabitats are characterized by relatively small scale. They have some unique features that influence the organisms that live there.

In simple words, microhabitats are the small parts of a larger habitat. It has specific physical conditions that support an organism. Microhabitats can be regulated by different factors like temperature, humidity, light exposure, and air circulation.

Types of Animal Habitats

The animal habitats can be divided further into three types. These are terrestrial habitats, aquatic habitats, and aerial habitats. An aquatic habitat is the water body that provides food, and shelter to the aquatic animals. There are so many aquatic habitats present on Earth including Oceans, Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, etc. On the other hand, terrestrial habitats can be natural or human-made. Aerial habitat is a habitat that can be found in the air.

Terrestrial Habitats

Terrestrial habitats are found on land. They include a wide range of natural habitats like forests, grasslands, and deserts. Some man-made habitats like farms, towns, and cities are also considered as the terrestrial habitats. Terrestrial habitats can also be found under the earth, like caves and mines. Here are some major terrestrial habitats as mentioned below.

Different Terrestrial Habitats
Terrestrial Habitat Name	Examples
Forests	Temperate Tropical Boreal Snow forest
Grasslands	Tropical grasslands Temperate grasslands
Deserts	Hot and dry deserts Coastal deserts Cold deserts Semi-arid deserts
Wetlands	Marshes Ponds Swamps Peat Bogs

Aquatic Habitats

An aquatic habitat is the water body that provides food, and shelter to the aquatic animals. There are so many aquatic habitats present on earth including oceans, ponds, lakes, rivers, etc. These habitats can be divided further into two types as freshwater and marine. These are the home of so many variety of animals those adapted to live in an aquatic environment. Here are some major aquatic habitats as mentioned below.

Different Aquatic Habitats
Aquatic Habitats Name	Examples
Freshwater	Rivers Lakes Streams
Marine	Pelagic Demersal

Aerial Habitats

The aerial habitat is a different type of habitat that generally exists in the air. The sky or the atmosphere is also considered as the aerial habitat. Aerial habitats can be found all over the world. Here are some specific aerial habitats as mentioned below.

Different Types Of Aerial Habitats
Aerial Habitats Name	Example
Forest Canopy	Tropical rainforests with rich biodiversity.
Open Sky	African savannas.
Urban Habitat	Pigeons nesting in urban areas.
Polar Habitat	Emperor penguins in Antarctica.
Alpine Habitat	Alpine region.

Human Impact on Animal Habitats

A habitat is the natural environment. It is an environment where an organism lives for food , shelter, protection, and mates for reproduction. Animal habitats are also environments where plants and other organisms live together by creating an ecosystem.

Animal Habitats destriyed by human activigies like deforestation. Here are some majoe human impacts on animal habitats.

• Deforestation hurts animal habitat. It clears the habitats that are displaced and reduces the species count.
• Pollution of the air, water, and soil harms the habitats and wildlife.
• Climate change and global warming alter the animal habitat.
• Illegal wildlife trade threatens animal habitats and disrupts ecosystems.

Specialized Habitats

Specialized habitats can be considered as nesting sites. These types of habitats contain unique or fragile ecosystems, biodiversity, and important habitats for threatened species. These particular habitats contain biological resources that have socio-economic importance. Here are some specialized habitats as mentioned below.

Caves and Underground Habitats

Caves and Underground habitats can be considered as underground spaces. They are generally formed by the weathering of rock. These type of habitats maintains a consistent temperature, humidity, and airflow into it.

Polar Habitats

Polar habitats are majorly found at the North and South Poles. These habitats have extremely cold climates and have a lot of snow and shifting ice.

Urban Habitats

Urban habitats are combinational habitats. They are a combination of natural and man-made elements. These types of habitats are extremely diverse and dynamic.

Which Animals Live in Which Habitat?

Animal habitats are the specific environment or location where a specific species of animal live for food, water, and shelter to survive. Based on nature and living style the habitat can change for the animals. The table mentioned below, will help you to understand about the different animals and the characteristics of their habitats.

Animals Of The Different Habitats
Habitat Name	Habitat Types	Habitat Sub-types	Animals Examples
Terrestrial Habitat	Animals	Temperate	White tailed deers, Red foxes
		Tropical	Mountain gorilla, Capybara, Jaguar
		Boreal	Elk, Lemmings, Grizzly bears
	Grasslands	Tropical Grasslands	Giraffes, Elephants, Zebras
		Temperate Grasslands	Prairie dogs, Coyotes, Badgers
	Deserts	Hot and Dry Deserts	Fennec foxes, Mexican Coyotes, Thorny devil lizards
		Coastal Deserts	Snakes, Coyotes
		Cold Deserts	Bisons, Mule deer, Caribou, Wolves, Arctic fox
		Semi-arid Deserts	Kangaroo rats, Rabbits, Skunks
	Wetlands	Marshes	Racoons, Beavers, Muskrats
		Ponds	Ducks, Geese, Turtles, Salamanders
		Swamps	Minks, Egrets, White tailed deers, Raccoons
		Peat Bogs	Frogs, Turtles, Insects and Insect eating birds
Aquatic Habitat	Freshwater	Rivers	Otters, Crocodiles, Catfish, Amphibians
		Lakes	Fish, Beavers, Turtles, Snakes, Alligators
	Marine	Pelagic Habitats	Sea turtles, Sharks, Tuna, Jellyfish, Octopus and Squids
		Demersal Habitats	Rattails, Hagfish, Lumpfishes, Eels
Aerial Habitats	Forest Canopy	*	Tree-dwelling species
	Open Sky	*	Birds of prey, migratory birds, bats, insect
	Urban Habitat	*	Pigeons, sparrows, crows, seagulls, and other birds
	Polar Habitat	*	Arctic and Antarctic seabirds
	Alpine Habitat	*	High-altitude birds

Conclusion – Animal Habitats

Animal habitats are the specific environment or location where a specific species of animal live for food, water, and shelter to survive. Habitats can vary widely. They include diverse ecosystems such as forests, deserts, grasslands, mountains, oceans, and freshwater bodies. Specialized habitats can be considered as nesting sites. These types of habitats contain unique or fragile ecosystems, biological diversity, and important habitats for threatened species. Each animal habitat provides a unique set of conditions, resources, and challenges.

FAQs – Animal Habitats

What are the Five Habitats of Animals?

The five major habitats are – forests, grasslands, deserts, mountains, polar regions and aquatic habitat.

What is Animal Habitat?

Animals habitats are places where animals live for food, water, and shelter to survive.

What are the Three Types of Animal Habitat?

Forests, grasslands and deserts are the three types of habitats. Animals habitats are places where animals live for food, water, and shelter to survive.

What are the Top Ten Habitats?

Top ten habitats are Polar, Tundra, Evergreen forests, Seasonal forests, Grasslands, Deserts, Tropical Rainforests, Oceans.

What is the Biggest Animal Habitat?

The largest habitat found on earth is the Marine Habitat. It is an aquatic habitat. An aquatic habitat is the water body that provides food, and shelter to the aquatic animals.

What are the main Types of Habitats?

There are three major types of habitats. They are Terrestrial Habitats, Aquatic Habitats and Aerial Habitats.

What is Habitat and Examples?

A habitat is the natural environment. It is an environment where an organism lives for food , shelter, protection, and mates for reproduction. Examples: Coral Reefs and Desert.

What are two Examples of Different Habitats of Animals?

Rainforest and Arctic Tundra can be considered as the different habitats of animals.

What is the Habitat of Animals in India?

There are four major habitats of animals are present in India. They are Himalayan Mountains, Western Ghats, Thar Desert and Sundarbans.