Habitats
Animals and plants live in many places around the world, some are
similar and some are very different.
Investigate the creatures and their habitats in Weston Park Museum to
help you find out more.
Arctic world
Watch the film at the entrance of Arctic World
Name or draw some of the animals that you have spotted.
See Arctic animal facts sheet.
Find the Arctic fox.
What colour is it?
White
Why do you think it is this colour?
To hide from polar bears who like to eat them. To hide from small animals
so they can sneak up on them to eat them. Camouflage.
Can you find another animal in the museum that is the same colour?
What on Earth?
On the moors
Look carefully at the animals in this case.
Draw the moorland ram in its habitat
Ensure children remember to draw the background and not just the ram.
They live on the moors because there is plenty of food as they eat plants
and grass. They have thick wool and are very tough so can survive the
conditions.
Write down 2 more animals that live on the moors.
Why do you think they like living there? Tell a friend.
Home
Apart from people, who else likes living in the home? Draw 2 of them.
Let children look in the
cupboards etc. Don’t forget
to look behind the curtains
at the window.
Why do you think they like living in a home?
Warmth, safety from predators, easy access to food
What other animals live in your home?
Weird and wonderful
Some animals have the same colours and patterns as their habitat. Why
do you think?
Refer back to Arctic animals being white.
Camouflage. There are a number of animals on
Find 1 and draw it in the box.
display. The snake is a pretty good one.
In the woods
This tree is home to many animals and birds.
Look all around and up and down the tree.
I can see
animals with 4 legs.
This display does
change so just let
the children count
what they can see
without worrying
about getting a
I can see
animals with 2 legs.
right answer.
Draw all the living things you can see around, on and under the
tree.
Can you spot a living thing that isn’t an animal?
What is it?
Plant, grass, tree!
Arctic animal facts
Walruses
• skin is 4cm thick and they have a layer of blubber (fat) which is 15 cm thick. This helps them to keep warm.
• move south in the winter as the ice expands and move north in the summer as the ice recedes.
• are very rapid and efficient swimmers and very good divers.
• can live in herds of up to 2000.
Canada geese
• are native to North America but have been introduced very successfully to Britain.
• were first introduced to Britain in 1665 as an addition to King Charles II’s waterfowl collection in St James’ Park in
London.
Beluga whales
• swim slowly and surface often to breath.
• travel in groups of between 5 and 20 but in the summer often congregate in much larger groups.
• have a very flexible neck. They can turn their heads almost 90 degrees to the side.
• body weight is 80% blubber. It can be up to 15cm thick
• may be white to help them escape predators by looking like ice floes.
Polar bears
• are the largest land carnivore and the largest species of bear.
• are at the top of the food chain. This means that they can eat people!
• still hunt. Still hunting is the name given to their technique. They wait at a breathing hole until a seal surfaces. Then
they break through the ice and seize the seal with their jaws.
• spend over 50% of their time hunting because they may only catch one seal every four or five days.
• nostrils close underwater and their feet are partially webbed to help them swim.
• have very small ears to conserve heat, black skin to keep warm and a good sense of smell to detect prey.
Arctic foxes
• have a white coat in winter and a brownish grey one in summer.
• have thick hair on the pads of their feet to insulate them.
• curl up and cover their noses with their bushy tails to keep warm.
• fur is oily so that it sheds water and helps keep them dry.
• eat seal pups and lemmings as well as carrion (dead creatures killed by something else) berries and eggs
Arctic hares
• have good hearing but small ears to conserve heat
• have large feet and toes to help them travel on snowy ground easily. Sometimes they are called snowshoe hares for
this reason.
• are white in winter and brown-grey in summer.
• are very fast runners.
Seals
• feed mostly on fish that live on, or close to, the sea bed and search for food using their continuously growing
whiskers.
• have very good vision and hearing, even underwater.
• have a good sense of smell and their nostrils shut whilst underwater.