My Science School

 

 

 

Shellfish are small animals that live inside shells. Their hard shells help to keep them safe from being eaten by other animals or smashed by waves. When shellfish are out of water, their shells stop them from drying out.

 

 

 

 

 

      These shellfish live in one shell.

Some shellfish live in one shell. The animal that lives inside has a very strong, muscular foot which it uses to move itself and to cling to rocks with. If the animal is in danger, it withdraws and hides inside its shell. These shellfish feed on seaweed or on other animals.

 

 

 

 

This shellfish has two shells joined together.

Some shellfish have two shells that are hinged together. Scallop shellfish swim by flapping their shells open and shut. Shellfish with two shells feed by sucking in water, and straining out small bits of food.

 

 

 

 

 

This hermit crab lives in an old shell.

Hermit crabs have a long soft body which they protect by living in an empty shell. They have a pair of strong hooks on their rear end to hold them safely in their shell. When a hermit crab grows too big for its shell, it will find a bigger shell to live in.

 

 

When the tide goes out, some water is left behind in hollows in the rocks. Many different seaweeds and animals live in these rock pools. They can stay safely underwater in the rock pool until the sea comes in again.

 

 

 

 

 

Starfish live in rock pools.

 

The underside of a starfish is covered with lots of tiny tube feet. It uses the feet to move and to grip on to rocks. Starfish feed on shellfish and use their arms to force open the shells to reach the soft animal inside. If a starfish loses any of its arms, it can grow new ones.

 

 

 

 

 

Sea anemones are animals.

Sea anemones look like flowers, but they are animals. They catch food with their tentacles. When a sea anemone is out of the water, it pulls in its tentacles to stop itself from drying out. It looks like a blob of jelly!

 

 

 

 

 

This is a rock pool food chain.

A food chain shows the link between plants and animals in a habitat. All food chains start with plants, which are eaten by plant-eating animals. Plant-eaters are eaten by flesh-eating animals. In a rock pool, seaweeds are food for animals like limpets. Limpets are eaten by whelks.

 

 

 

Many seashore animals bury themselves in the sand, mud or rock. They dig themselves in to try to keep themselves safe from being eaten. Some animals hide in the sand when the tide is out. This stops the animal from drying out in the wind or Sun.

 

 

 

 

 

These are lugworm casts on a sandy beach.

Lugworms live in U-shaped burrows on sandy or muddy seashores. They swallow mud and eat any pieces of food they find in it. The sand comes out of the worms’ bottom at the other end of the burrow, and makes a squiggly worm cast on the surface of the mud.

 

 

 

This dog whelk hides in cracks in rocks.

Some shellfish protect themselves by digging into rock or squeezing into gaps between rocks. Dog whelks hide under rocks, crawl into cracks and wedge themselves into crevices on rocky seashores when the tide goes out. When the tide comes back in the dog whelks come out to feed.

 

 

 

 

Cockles bury themselves in the sand.

Cockles use their muscular foot to bury themselves in the sand. This helps to protect them from being eaten by birds and animals. Cockles and razorshells feed using long siphons that suck water and strain food from it.

 

 

Seashore birds feed on different foods. They hunt for food on the land and in the sea. Some birds dig in the sand to find worms and shellfish. Fish-eating birds dive into the sea to catch their food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seashore birds build their nests on steep cliffs.

Seashore birds often nest together in huge, noisy colonies. They make their nests on high, rocky cliffs because it is very difficult for predators to reach them there. Some seabirds make nests, but others just lay their eggs on a rocky ledge.

 

 

Continue reading "Seashore birds"

 

 

 

At low tide, seashore fish hide. They squeeze into cracks in rock pools or hide under the sand. When the tide comes in, they come out to feed. Seashore fish have eyes near the top of their head. They look out for seabirds that try to catch them from above.

 

 

 

 

 

This fish lives in rock pools.

Goby fish live in rock pools. Their skin is patterned to help them hide against the rocks and seaweed. Some goby fish have their lower fins joined together to make a sucker. They use the sucker to cling on to rocks and stop them from being swept away by waves.

 

 

 

 

These pipefish are hard to see.

Pipefish can hide themselves so well that they are very hard to see. They have a long, thin body that helps to disguise them when they hide in seaweed. They live in rock pools and feed on other small fish and shellfish.

 

 

 

 

This fish can breathe air.

Mudskipper fish live on warm, muddy seashores. Most fish can only breathe in water. Mudskipper fish can breathe in air and water. They use their front fins as legs and crawl about on mud to look for food.

 

 

Some of the animals that we see on seashore do not live there all the time. They spend most of their life in the sea, and only visit the seashore for a short time. They may visit the shore to rest or to have babies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These seals have come to the shore to rest.

Seals spend most of their time in the sea, but they sometimes visit the seashore. Seals are excellent swimmers but move very slowly on land. They haul themselves up on to rocks or sand banks to rest and bask in the Sun. Seals give birth to their pups on quiet seashores where they will not be disturbed.

 

 

 

 

 

Puffins visit the seashore to nest.

Puffins visit the seashore each year to breed. They nest on the top of cliffs. They dig burrows or take over an old rabbit tunnel. Puffins usually have only one chick. They feed their chicks on sand eels and fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turtles visit the shore to lay their eggs.

Female turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs above the high tide line. They dig a hole in the sand, lay their eggs in it and cover the eggs with sand. When the babies hatch, they dig themselves out and crawl down to the sea.

 

 

 

Seashores can be harmed by people. If we leave rubbish on a beach, it can hurt or kill wildlife. Plants and animals often lose their homes when we build on the seashore. We all need to take care of the seashore and the wildlife that lives there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This rubbish has been washed up on a beach.

Rubbish is often dumped in the sea. It can be carried long distances and washed up on beaches. Rubbish like plastic bottles and bags, fishing line and glass can hurt or kill animals. Turtles eat plastic bags because they look like jellyfish.

 

Continue reading "Looking after the seashore"

Many of the things that we use and eat every day come from the rainforest. New animals and plants that could be useful in the future are being discovered all the time.

All of these things come from rainforest plants.

Many of the foods that we eat come from the rainforest. Banana, coffee and avocado plants first grew wild in rainforests and are now grown in large plantations. Some foods, such as Brazil nuts are still collected from trees growing in the rainforest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continue reading "Rain forest Nature’s superstore"

 

 

The rainforest floor is covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves called leaf litter. Millions of insects, tiny creatures and fungi help to break down the leaves. Anything that falls to the forest floor is not there for long!

 

 

 

 

 

Everything that falls to the ground is recycled.

The hot, wet conditions in the rainforest are perfect for rotting, or decomposing. Insects and fungi help to break down dead plants and animals into simple nutrients. These are quickly absorbed by the shallow roots of trees and plants. Rainforests are so good at recycling that 99 percent of nutrients never leave the cycle!

 

 

Continue reading "Rainforest recyclers"

 

The forest floor is the darkest and warmest part of the rainforest. Very little sunlight reaches the ground so few plants grow here. The forest floor is home to many insects and the animals that like to eat them, such as lizards!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This huge rainforest spider is as big as a dinner plate.

The Goliath bird-eating spider is the largest spider in the world. It lives on the rainforest floor and hides in burrows or under logs during the day. At night, it comes out to hunt for lizards, frogs, insects and small birds, which it bites with its poisonous fangs.

 

 

Continue reading "Life at ground level in rainforest"

 

Leafy bushes and small trees make up the understory. It is dark, hot and very still here. The canopy roof blocks out most of the sunlight and wind from above. Many insects, frogs and snakes live in this layer.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a chameleon. It can change its skin colour.

Chameleons camouflage themselves by changing colour to match their surroundings. They use their long, sticky tongue to catch insects. They can also swivel their eyes so that each eye looks in a different direction at the same time.

Continue reading "Understory gloom"

 

 

 

One-fifth of all the birds in the world live in tropical rainforests. They can be found, along with many other flying creatures, throughout the rainforest. They feed on insects, seeds, fruit, nectar or other animals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This bird lives in the treetops as part of a noisy group.

Brightly coloured macaws have short wings to help them fly through the crowded canopy. They have a powerful beak which they use as a tool to crack open nuts and fruits. Macaws also use their beak to hold on to the canopy branches as they move around.

 

 

 

 

This rainforest butterfly is the biggest in the world.

Bird wing butterflies are poisonous and their brightly coloured wings warn other animals not to eat them. The poison in their bodies comes from a plant that they eat when they are caterpillars.

 

 

 

 

 

This bat feeds on fruit and nectar from flowers.

During the day, bats gather in large groups to sleep. They hang upside down from trees and sleep with their wings folded across their body. At night, they fly through the forest in search of fruit, insects and nectar to eat. Bats are important to rainforest plants and trees because they pollinate flowers. They also help to spread seeds in their droppings.

 

 

 

Plants and animals crowd the treetops. Some plants don’t need soil for their roots and many animals never touch the forest floor. The canopy provides all the sunlight, water, food and shelter they need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This three-toed sloth lives high up in the trees.

Sloths are one of the slowest-moving creatures on Earth. They hang on to trees with hooked claws and spend most of their time asleep. Small plants called algae grow in their fur, turning it a greenish colour. This helps to camouflage sloths from their predators.

 

 

 

Continue reading "Treetop life "