Animals live in places that give them food, water, air, and shelter. Some animals live mostly on land, some live in water, and some spend time in both places. Sorting animals by where they live helps young learners notice patterns in nature.
It also helps children connect animal body parts, like fins, legs, wings, and feet, to how animals move.
Key Facts
- Land animals live mostly on land, such as lions, elephants, dogs, rabbits, and many birds.
- Water animals live in water, such as fish, dolphins, octopuses, and whales.
- Some animals can live in both land and water areas, such as frogs, ducks, crocodiles, and some turtles.
- Fish use fins to swim through water.
- Birds use wings to fly, and many birds perch or nest in trees on land.
- A habitat is the place where an animal lives and gets what it needs.
Vocabulary
- Land animal
- A land animal is an animal that lives mostly on land.
- Water animal
- A water animal is an animal that lives mostly in water.
- Habitat
- A habitat is the natural place where an animal lives.
- Swim
- To swim means to move through water using body parts such as fins, tails, legs, or flippers.
- Both land and water animal
- A both land and water animal is an animal that can spend important parts of its life on land and in water.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Putting whales with fish because they live in water is wrong because whales are mammals, not fish, even though they are water animals.
- Putting all birds in the water group is wrong because many birds live mostly on land or in trees, even if some birds can swim.
- Putting frogs only on land is wrong because frogs spend time in water and on land during their lives.
- Sorting animals by size instead of habitat is wrong because a small fish and a huge whale both belong in water, while a big elephant belongs on land.
Practice Questions
- 1 You see 3 land animals: a dog, a rabbit, and a lion. You also see 2 water animals: a fish and a whale. How many animals are there in all?
- 2 In a picture, 4 animals are on land, 5 animals are in water, and 2 animals are in both land and water. How many animals are shown altogether?
- 3 A frog is sitting on a lily pad and then jumps into a pond. Should it be sorted as land, water, or both land and water? Explain your reason.