Habitat is the place where a particular species lives. It corresponds to a complex system in which animals interact with the various elements that make up that space, as a result of their feeding, reproduction and development processes. The habitat of animals is essential for their subsistence, so that everything that happens in this environment has an impact on the species that exists there. At present, this last aspect has generated a global alert, since many of the species that are in danger of extinction are due to the anthropic alterations carried out in their environment.
There is a classification of animals according to their habitat. Thus, we invite you to continue reading this article on our site.
Types of animal habitats and their importance
The habitat is essential for any species, since it plays a fundamental role in the processes of reproduction and feeding that are part of the life cycle of animals. Although some individuals can move and adapt to conditions other than the original ones where they live, many do not have the capacity to do so. In this sense, the habitat is extremely important for any animal, without it there is no possibility of development for any living being.
Considering then that the habitat is the specific place where a species lives, we can establish the following general classification:
- Aeroterrestres
- Terrestrial
- Aquatics
Within each of these, there are different types of animal habitats with particular characteristics that distinguish them from others. Let's know specifically what they are.
Aeroterrestres
Some animals move through the air and even manage to hunt or reproduce while flying, but they always need to perch at some point. For this reason, it is better to use the term air-terrestrial or semi-aerial, because in a strict sense there are no exclusively aerial animals. But since certain species of birds, insects and chiropterans or bats use the aerial environment, we can consider this as a type of habitat.
Terrestrial
Regarding the terrestrial environment, we find a vast diversity of ecosystems, within which thousands of species are housed. Among the types of terrestrial habitats we can mention : different types of forests such as: cloudy, gallery, semi-deciduous, deciduous, temperate; as well as jungles, savannahs, deserts, grasslands, wastelands, and polar regions. With the development of spaces managed by human beings, the cultivation areas, the gardens and even the urban areas, have become a terrestrial habitat for various species.
Aquatics
Finally, we have the aquatic spaces, in which we also find various types of habitat. In this sense we can mention: rivers, lakes, estuaries, swamps, ponds and in general any body of water, natural or not, in which life develops.
There is a type of habitat that has both aquatic and terrestrial characteristics, they are the mangrovesThese biomes are made up of vegetation that tolerates high s alt concentrations and grow near bodies of water such as estuaries and coasts. Mangroves are the habitat of a significant number of animals such as fish, birds, molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms, annelids and microorganisms.
Classification of animals according to where they live
We can classify animals according to where they live, some examples are:
- Air-terrestrial animals: eagles, owls, storks, bees, wasps, dragonflies, hummingbirds, flies, mosquitoes and butterflies, among others.
- Land animals: rodents, arachnids, earthworms, felines, horses, canids, cattle, reptiles, ursids and some birds, among others.
- Aquatic animals: dolphins, whales, fish, various nematodes, various flatworms, echinoderms, various molluscs, cnidarians, porifera and sirenians, among others.
On the other hand, we also find animals that share their life between the terrestrial and aquatic habitat, some of them are: frogs, penguins, some species of turtles, crocodiles, platypuses, beavers, hippopotamuses, otters, marine iguanas and snakes such as anacondas.
Are there animals from different habitats?
Despite the specificity of some animals to live exclusively in a particular habitat, there are also certain species of great flexibility. That is, they can be in different habitats managing to adapt to different conditions in different environments. A trait that definitely grants a higher chance of survival for these groups.
Some examples of the above are: insects such as flies, rats, bull shark and migratory birds.
Animals with specialized habitats
In the world, we find groups of animals that are specialized to live in a particular habitat. So if the same is altered or they are taken to another medium with different conditions, they cannot resist change. This is because these living beings are adapted to specific conditions of temperature, humidity, chemical conditions, among other aspects. In addition, it also influences what is related to the organism's diet, which directly affects its survival.
Some examples of specialized animals in a habitat are: corals, marine fauna, polar bears, panda bears, Mexican axolotl and those species that are endemic to a particular region.
How to take care of the animal habitat?
As we mentioned before, animals depend directly on their habitat in order to live. If major changes occur, any species living in it is put at risk. Currently, there are many actions that are intensely disturbing the various global habitats. Therefore, there are not a few species that are in danger of extinction for this reason. The main causes that impact a habitat are:
- Deforestation
- Fires
- Pollution (oil spills, agrochemicals, wastewater, gas emissions)
- Introduction of invasive species
- Urban planning development
- Climate change
Although many of the actions to protect a habitat depend mainly on government actions and state policies of the countries, there are various strategies that we can individually put into practice to help minimize the impact in these areas, for example:
- Avoid the use of fire in susceptible and easily spread fire areas.
- Never leave waste where it doesn't belong.
- Minimize consumption, making this a responsible action.
- Avoid consuming highly industrialized and environmentally unfriendly products.
- Cause as little impact or modification as possible when visiting natural areas.
The list of globally threatened animal species increases every year, among other reasons due to habitat destruction, which indicates that urgent measures are required in all countries to control this situation.
