ou need it; I need it; all living things need it! It must supply the right things
in the proper amounts. What is it? Habitat!Mammals, birds, fish, insects,
reptiles and amphibians cannot live just anywhere. Their habitats must supply them with the basic requirements of water, food, shelter and adequate space to carry on necessary activities such as food gathering, breeding and raising young. Living things must have these
Y things in the proper amounts. Often habitat refers to an animal’s
home, but we must think larger than just a “house.” A home for wildlife is more like a neighborhood that offers everything a specific kind of wildlife needs to survive. If any of the habitat basics an animal needs are removed or disturbed, it will affect them.
Let’s look at the habitat needs of a few of New Hampshire’s wildlife.
WHITE TAILED DEERIn spring, white-tailed deer eat young plants and tender shoots. Female deer (called “does”) seek dense cover, where their fawns are born.
In fall, half of a deer’s diet is made up of acorns and other nuts.
When the snows are deep and the winds are cold, deer seek the shelter provided by stands of evergreens like hemlock, spruce or fir. For food, they eat the twigs and buds of woody plants.
In winter, wood frogs hibernate under the leaves and other debris found on the forest floor.
During the spring, they travel to small ponds to breed.
In the summer, wood frogs are found in the woods, eating a variety of insects such as beetles and flies, as well as spiders, snails, slugs and worms. The area they live in may be as small as 12 square feet, or as big as the size of a city block (1,200 square feet).
he habitat needs of wildlife change with the seasons, so when we think about what wildlife need to survive, we have to think about what they require throughout the year. Some wildlife will find all of
their food, water, shelter and space within a relatively small area, others may roam over larger areas to find these habitat essentials. Some wildlife may actually have to leave New Hampshire during certain seasons in order to have their needs met.
GRAY SQUIRRELGray squirrels can easily live in urban, suburban or rural environments – just as long as they have mature deciduous trees like oaks that produce plenty of nuts and have some tree cavities. Some squirrels find everything they need within a back yard, while others may have to range further to meet their needs.
During spring and early summer, gray squirrels feed on the buds of trees. When food is scarce, they also eat insects and bird eggs.
Nuts are squirrels’ primary diet in late summer and fall; in winter, they eat more fungi and the inner bark of trees.
Osprey can use a variety of habitats that are close to large bodies of water such as lakes, rivers and coastal waters. For breeding, they need elevated nest sites near water with abundant fish.
Osprey prefer to feed in areas of shallow water where fish are close to the surface.
During the fall, osprey migrate south to warmer waters. Ospreys from New England are common winter
Wild Times for Kids is published twice a year by the new hampshire fish and Game department. multiple copies are available for schools and youth
groups upon request. send your request to:
*Habitat
*Food
*Water
Shelter
*Space
Arrangement
Research
Deciduous
Breeding
*Winter
*Cover
Hibernate
Migrate
Variety
Protection
*Deer
Osprey
*Transmitter
*Bobcat
Wood Frog
A E S C Y K B B V T U S W S O T X DN P Q R U A O S P A Z R F V L N A GO S P R E Y R U B R P W O E P O X OV L L T S E H G D N C R I Y N R F V K OW O U X P Z D Q I I O A O W Y I X S L BL W N Z A O N I A M C T L N M L X H B E K U J B Q C G R R N H Z E F U G B O B C A T O W A F E N S W Y G C G D P E W A I E W G J L Q S M A T R W G B M U Q B R N I T Q E G U E P V G O X X E G T Z N X I N T Y N B R Z J R J L T G Q Y M I N K F Q T J K W Y G C E I M J K S Y G H T R A N S M I T T E R O H K L L Y Y Y R I R E T N I W B X D X C S E S D P R J VA U N H C R A E S E R E T A N R E B I H C A UW S T A T I B A H Q G N P C G C T V Z R ID V F J L E B Q N V O D C Z G G N U M I EU Q I V M R J G S R X T D O O F S E YP C M T E L D P F T H V F Z S T Q E B E C J H D O A F X R Y D Q Z E O V T R B L O H Y W S
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the nh fish and Game department receives federal assistance from the us fish & wildlife service, and thus prohibits discrimination on the
basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion and sex, pursuant to title vi of the civil rights act of 1964, section 504 of the
rehabilitation act of 1973, title ii of the americans with disabilities act of 1990, title iX of the education amendments of 1972, and the age
discrimination act of 1975. if you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity or service, please contact or write to:
the u.s. fish and wildlife servicedivision of wildlife and sport fish restoration4001 n. fairfax drive, mail stop: wsfr – 4020,
arlington, virginia 22203, attention: civil rights coordinator for public programs
N.H. Fish and Game Department, Public Affairs Division11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301 l 603-271-3211
www.WildNH.com
Conserving New Hampshire’s wildlife and their habitats for over a century.
Support for this Wild Times provided by:N.H. Department of Education through Math Science Partnership
N.H. Fish and Game DepartmentWildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire
Wild Times for Kids is published twice a year by the new hampshire fish and Game department. multiple copies are available for schools and youth
groups upon request. send your request to:
Word SearchFrom the list on the right, see how many words you can find in the set of letters below (watch out – some are spelled backwards and even slanted backwards!). After finding and circling all of the words, circle the first letter in the puzzle that comes after the end of each word with a star (see example). Write the letters down on a piece of paper and unscramble them to answer the bonus question below.
A scientist who studies wild animals and their habitats is called a wildlife T.
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