Animal Life Class 5 Notes Science

Habitat

• Animals inhabit a wide range of environments, including land, water, and air. The specific area where an animal naturally lives, feeds, and reproduces is called its habitat.
• Animals have different physical characteristics that help them survive in their particular habitats. To improve their chances of survival, animals may make changes to their bodies, functions, or behaviors. These changes are known as adaptations.
• Some animals reside in forests, while others live in grasslands, ponds, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Many animals also make their homes underground.
• Terrestrial animals are those that live on land. Aquatic animals live underwater, while amphibious animals can live both on land and in water.
• The five main habitats where animals live are forests, deserts, polar regions, mountains, and bodies of water.

Types of Animals based on their Habitat

1. Terrestrial Animals

Animals that live on land are called terrestrial animals. Terrestrial animals have certain adaptation that help them to survive in land. 
Adaptation: Adaptation is the presence of specific features or habits that help a plant or animal to live in its surrounding.

Terrestrial animals

For Example: Elephant 

• Elephants are large animals that have long trunks and big ears. 
• Elephants live in tropical conditions.
• They have certain adaptive features that help them to survive in hot environment:
• Big ears of elephants help them to stay cool.
• Elephants are huge in size and produce lots of heat. Large ears of elephants help the elephant keep them cool.
• Elephants' ears help them to hear long distances and communicate.

2. Aquatic Animals

Animals that live in water are called aquatic animals.

Aquatic animals

3. Amphibians

• Animals that live both on land and in water are called amphibians.
• Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates (vertebrates have backbones) that don’t have scales.

Amphibians

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4. Arboreal Animals

Some animals that mostly live on trees are known as arboreal animals. 

Squirrel

5. Aerial Animals

Some animals can fly, they are called aerial animals.

Aerial animals

Body Coverings of Animals

Body covering helps animals to adapt and live comfortably in their habitats. 

• Feathers: Birds have feathers that keep them warm and help them to fly.

Feathers of a Bird

• Scales: Fish have overlapping scales that do not let water enter their body. Reptiles such as crocodiles, snakes, and lizards also have scales for protection.

Gills of Fish

• Shell: A very hard outer covering is called a shell. It protects the soft bodies of animals such as snails, tortoises, and oysters.

Snail

Zebra has a striped body. It looks similar to the background where it lives. This is called camouflage. It prevents the animal from being seen by its predator. 

• Wool: Some animals, such as sheep, have a hairy body covering called wool. It keeps their body warm.

Wool of sheep

• Fur: The thick fur of a polar bear or an Arctic fox protects them from extreme cold.

Fur of Polar Bear

• Cuticle: Insects such as bees and ants have a waxy and water-resistant outer covering called a cuticle. 

Cuticle of insects

• Hard plates: Animals such as armadillos have hard, armor-like plates that provide protection from enemies.

Plates of Armadillos

The deer is not easily visible in the forest due to its body covering. A porcupine has sharp, needle-like spines called quills on its body for protection against enemies.

Eating Habits of Animals

• Herbivores: Zebra, giraffe, cow, goats, and deer have sharp front teeth to cut the grass and broad back teeth to chew and grind them, such animals are called herbivores.
  They eat plants such as herbs and shrubs, and leaves of trees. 

Sharp front teeth of Zebra

• Carnivores: Animals such as cats, tigers, and lions eat the flesh of other animals. They are called carnivores.
  They have sharp and pointed front teeth for tearing flesh.

Pointed teeth of Tiger

Birds such as eagles and vultures too are carnivores. The hooked beak of these birds helps them to tear the flesh.

• Omnivores: Animals which eat both plants and animals are called omnivores. Human beings, bear, cats, dogs, etc, are some examples of omnivores.

Bear

• Rodents: Small animals such as rats and squirrels have sharp front teeth. They use these teeth to gnaw on their food. These animals are called rodents.

Sharp front teeth of Squirrel

Proboscis: Butterflies have a long, thin tube-like mouth called a proboscis. They use it to suck nectar from flowers. Mosquitoes have a needle-like tube that helps them to suck blood.

Proboscis of Butterfly

Respiration in Animals

All living beings breathe. When an animal inhales oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide, gases are exchanged in the lungs and in various cells throughout the body. The inhaled oxygen is absorbed by the blood and transported to all body parts by the heart. Different organisms have different organs for respiration.

(a) Small Animals

Some small animals, like earthworms, respire through their moist body surfaces.

Earthworm

(b) Insects

Insects such as flies, butterflies, and mosquitoes have a unique respiratory organ called the spiracle. Air is delivered to all parts of their bodies through small breathing tubes.

Spiracles of Butterfly

(c) Aquatic Animals

Organisms that live underwater, like fish, primarily breathe through gills. A fish inhales water through its mouth and expels it through its gills. During this process, dissolved oxygen is absorbed, and carbon dioxide is released from the blood into the water.

Gills in fish

(d) Amphibians

Amphibians are animals that can live both on land and underwater. Examples include frogs and toads. A frog breathes through its lungs when on land and through its moist skin when underwater. The tadpole, which is the larva of a frog, breathes through its gills.

Adult Frog

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(e) Mammals

Mammals are warm-blooded animals with a backbone. They breathe using their lungs. Examples of mammals include humans, cows, and goats. They inhale air through their nostrils, and the air travels to the lungs through the windpipe. Hemoglobin, which is present in their blood, carries oxygen molecules to all body parts and brings carbon dioxide from the cells back to the lungs, where it is exhaled.

Human 

Movement in Animals

 Animals move in search of food, to protect themselves and their young, and to find or create places to rest and breed. Different animals move in various ways, and their limbs are adapted to how they move. 

Land Animals

•  Most land animals have four limbs. The front limbs are called forelimbs, and the back limbs are called hind limbs. 
•  Some animals, like horses, cows, and tigers, use all four limbs to move. 
•  Animals like kangaroos use only their hind limbs to move. 
• Crocodiles, lizards, and turtles have four short legs that help them crawl. 
• Human beings use their hind limbs to walk and their forelimbs to hold, pick, or carry things and perform various activities. 
•  Animals like snakes and earthworms have no legs. Snakes move by curving and straightening their bodies, while earthworms move by shortening and elongating their bodies. 

Land Animals

Water Animals

•  All water animals swim by paddling and pushing back water, but they use different organs to swim. 
• Fishes swim by moving their bodies and tails from side to side. They have a pair of fins that help them balance, change direction, and stop. Some fishes use their fins like oars to push water and move forward. 
• Frogs use their webbed feet to swim. Turtles use their limbs as paddles. Penguins have two flippers, which are actually short and strong wings. Octopuses use their eight arms, called tentacles, to swim and catch their prey. 

Water Animals

Birds

•  The forelimbs of birds are modified into wings, which help them fly. Wings have feathers and are attached to the chest bones of birds. 
•  Birds have streamlined bodies with light and hollow bones, making their bodies lighter and easier to soar in the air. Some birds, like ostriches, emus, and kiwis, have poorly developed wings and cannot fly. 

Birds

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Insects

•  All insects have six legs, which they use to move. Some insects, like butterflies, honey bees, and houseflies, have wings that allow them to fly. 
•  Water insects, like the water boatman, use their legs as oars to paddle and swim. 

Insects

Reproduction in Animals

Reproduction in Animals refers to the process by which animals produce offspring that are similar to themselves. There are various methods of reproduction among different animal species.

• Fission: Some smaller animals reproduce by fission, where their body splits into parts, and each part develops into a new individual.
• Budding: Certain organisms reproduce by forming buds on their bodies, which then grow into new individuals.
• Direct Birth: Many animals reproduce by giving direct birth to their young ones. For instance, a cow gives birth to a calf.
• Egg Laying: Some animals lay eggs from which their young ones hatch out. For example, a hen lays eggs that hatch into chicks.

Egg Laying Hen

Migration in Animals

Migration among animals refers to the natural tendency of animals to move from one region to another when they cannot adapt to their surroundings. This movement occurs at a specific time and is often triggered by various factors. Animals migrate to:

• Avoid Unfavorable Weather Conditions: Animals may leave their current habitat to escape harsh weather, such as extreme cold or heat.
• Search for Food: When food becomes scarce in one area, animals migrate to find a more suitable location with ample food resources.
• Reach Safe Breeding Places: Animals often migrate to find safer and more suitable environments for breeding and raising their young.

Examples of Migratory Animals:

• Arctic Tern: This migratory bird travels an incredible distance of about 1,70,000 kilometers from its home in the Arctic region to the Antarctic, showcasing one of the longest migration journeys.
• Siberian Cranes: These cranes migrate from Siberia to India during the winter months in search of warmer climates and better food availability.

• European Stork: The European stork migrates from Europe to Africa every winter and returns to Europe in the spring, following a seasonal cycle.
• Eels: Eels spend their early life in freshwater rivers. As they mature, they migrate to the sea to lay their eggs. After laying eggs, the adult eels die, and the young eels return to the rivers from where their parents originated.
• Monarch Butterflies: Some monarch butterflies migrate from Canada to Mexico, escaping the cold Canadian winters and seeking a more hospitable environment.

Some Important Questions

1. What are the different types of animals based on their habitat?

Answer: The different types of animals based on their habitat include terrestrial animals (live on land), aquatic animals (live in water), amphibians (live both on land and in water), arboreal animals (live on trees), and aerial animals (can fly).

2. How do the body coverings of animals help them to adapt to their habitats?

Answer: Body coverings help animals to adapt and live comfortably in their habitats by providing protection, warmth, and camouflage. For example, feathers in birds help them stay warm and fly, scales in fish protect their bodies from water, and fur in polar bears keeps them warm in extreme cold.

3. What are the different eating habits of animals?

Answer: Animals can have different eating habits depending on their diet. Herbivores eat plants, such as grass, shrubs, and leaves; carnivores eat the flesh of other animals; and rodents have sharp front teeth to gnaw on their food. Some animals, like butterflies, have a proboscis for sucking nectar from flowers.

4. How do different animals breathe?

Answer: Different animals have different organs for breathing. Birds, reptiles, and mammals breathe through their lungs; insects have small holes called spiracles on their body connected to a network of tubes called the trachea; fish and other aquatic animals breathe through gills; and earthworms and frogs breathe through their skin.

5. What is camouflage?

Answer: Camouflage is a natural adaptation in which animals have body patterns, colors, or textures that help them blend in with their surroundings, making them less visible to predators or prey.