Habitats around the world

A habitat is the place where an organism lives. It gives the organism what it needs: food, water and shelter. In Egypt there are many habitats: the desert, the Nile and its canals, farmland, the seashore and the oases. Every habitat has living parts and non-living parts. The living parts are the plants and animals. The non-living parts are things such as sunlight, air, water, sand and rocks. Living things depend on the non-living parts of their habitat all the time. A palm tree uses sunlight and water to grow. A lizard rests on a warm rock. A bird builds a nest in a tree for shelter. To say how an organism meets a need, use a sentence like this: “A camel meets its need for food by eating desert plants.” You can find a small habitat near you, such as a school garden or a pond. Look quietly, do not touch the animals and do not pick the plants.