Habitats of Animal
Depending on their place of living, animals are classified into two groups:
1. Aquatic animals and2. Terrestrial animals.
Aquatic Animals
These are the animals which live in water. They may be freshwater forms (living in ponds, rivers, lakes) or marine forms (living in sea/ocean water).
Depending on the depth of water, where the animals live, animals are of the following types :
1.Zooplankton
which are passively floating on the surface of the water body.
2.Nektons
which are actively swimming in the water column.
3.Benthos
Benthic animals are those which live on the floor of the water body.
Terrestrial Animals
These are the animals that live on land.
According to the environment and the adaptations they have, to live in a given environment, terrestrial animals are of the following types:
1.Fossorial animals
which are burrowing, e.g., earthworm.
2.Cursorial animals
which are adapted to run fast, e.g., horse.
3.Arboreal animals
which live on trees, e.g., monkeys.
4.Scansorial animals
which climb rocks or walls, e.g., some reptiles.
5.Volant/aerial animals
which keep flying for most of the time and often rest on trees, e.g., birds, bats, winged insects, etc.
Habitats of Animals
Following are some of the terms associated with the habits of animals:
1.Lifestyle2.Food Habit3.Body Temperature4.Time of the day, when the animals are active5.Nature of Nitrogenous excretory waste
Lifestyle
1.Free-living Animals
Free-living animals are those which lead an independent life; they are of the following types:
2.Solitary animals
which live alone, e.g., grasshopper, frog, etc.
1.Colonial animals
which live in groups/herds and help one another, e.g., honeybees, ants, termites, etc.
4.Gregarious animals
which live in large groups, but do not help one another, e.g., locusts, etc.
Parasites
Parasitic animals are those animals which depend on other organisms, called hosts for food and shelter.
They are of the following two types:
1.Ectoparasites
which live on the surface of the host, e.g., ticks and mites.
2.Endoparasites
which live within the body of the host, e.g., roundworm, tapeworm, etc.
Food Habit
1. Herbivores
which feed on plants, e.g., deer, cow, goat, etc.
2. Carnivores
which feed on the flesh of other animals, e.g., lion, tiger, etc.
3. Omnivores
which feed on both plant food and animal food, e.g., bear, man, etc.
4. Coprozoic
which feed on the faecal matter, e.g., rabbit, pig, etc.
5. Cannibals
which feed on the fellow-animals, e.g., frog.
6. Frugivores
which feed on fruits, e.g., squirrel, monkey, etc.
7. Sanguivores
which feed on the blood of other animals, e.g. leech.
8. Detritivores
which feed on the freshly decaying organic matter, called detritus and break it into smaller particles, e.g., earthworm.
9. Saprozoic animals
which feed on the decaying organic matter, they absorb the digested fluid part, e.g., housefly.
Body Temperature
1. Poikilotherms/Ectotherms/cold-blooded animals
These are the animals whose body temperature changes with the environmental conditions, e.g., frogs, lizards, etc.
2. Homeotherms/Endotherms/warm-blooded animals
These are the animals which maintain a constant body temperature, through metabolic regulations, e.g., birds and mammals.
Time of the Day, When the Animal is Active
1. Nocturnal animals
which are active during night/darkness, e.g., owl.
2. Diurnal animals
which are active during day light, e.g., sparrow.
3. Crepuscular animals
which are active during twilight, e.g., rabbit.
4.Vespertine animals
which are active during dusk, e.g., bats.
Nature of Nitrogenous Excretory Waste
1. Ammonotelic animals
which excrete the nitrogenous waste mainly as ammonia, e.g., bony fish and tadpoles.
2. Ureotelic animals
which excrete the nitrogenous waste mainly in the form of urea e.g., all mammals, adult frogs, etc.
3. Uricotelic animals
which excrete uric acid, e.g., land reptiles, insects and birds.
4.Aminotelic animals
which excrete amino acids, e.g., some mammals and molluscs.