• Poll
  • Map

Which habitat would you rather live in?

Play Sound
369 Likes 14896 Views
Autoplay on
Play Video
Like

Which habitat would you rather live in?

Play again

Links

Sea Creatures by Habitat (New Zealand Marine Studies Centre)

Click on a habitat to see which creatures live there!

 

New Zealand's Ocean Environment (Ministry for the Environment)

A short description of New Zealand's ocean environment.


Activities

Create: A shoebox habitat

Why not use an old shoebox box to create a place for sea creatures to live?

Start with some rocks or sand (glue it down!) at the bottom, then fill your habitat with a bunch of amazing plants and animals.

Some ideas:

  • A kelp forest filled with starfish, crabs, and jellyfish
  • A reef bustling with colourful fishes and coral
  • Or an offshore area where dolphins, sharks, and whales hang out

Talk with someone you know about what might live there, including any human impact like fishing nets, plastic, pollution, or passing boats.

Habitat

 

A habitat is the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally lives. A habitat provides food, water, shelter, and a place to raise young. For example a coral reef or a sandy beach.

Open ocean

 

The part of the ocean that is out of sight of land. Most of the ocean is open ocean, but it is often referred to as the 'marine desert' because there is a lot less life living there than in shallow seas.

Coast

 

The land near a sea shore (where the land meets the sea).

Coral

 

Sea animals that stay in one place their whole life. Some coral produce a colourful skeleton (which is also called coral) that will remain after they die. Coral are often found grouped in large areas called coral reefs, and they are related to sea anemones and jellyfish.

Reef

 

A long line of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of the ocean. An artificial reef is when a human-made structure creates a reef on the sea floor.

Kelp

 

A large, brown, seaweed that lives in cold water and provides a habitat for many other sea creatures.

Harbour

 

A place on the coast where ships can safely anchor because it is protected from rough water, wind, and sea currents.

Rocky shore

 

A rocky shore is the area where the sea tide moves up and down, exposing solid rock when the tide is out and covering it with water when it is in. Rocky shores are home to many different animals such as shellfish, birds, sea anemones, and crabs.

Click for more words!
Learn to Draw
Interviews with Experts
Hauraki Gulf
YOE adventures
Riley can't find the ocean here!
Sea of Hope
SeaLegacy's Sea of Hope episode
Where do whales and dolphins hang out?
Orca Dad jokes
Riley explores a coral reef
Crayfish Dad jokes
Fish Dad jokes #2
Fish Dad jokes #1
Snorkelled in a marine reserve?
How does a dolphin move?
How to hide in plain sight
Dolphin Dad jokes
What is most likely to hurt a dolphin?
Human Dad jokes
Riley searches for crayfish
Shark Dad jokes
Crab Dad jokes
How fast does giant kelp grow?
Learn to Draw - Turtle
Name the Māui dolphins cousin
What is a habitat?
Riley's cool turtle encounter
Which fish's poo makes sand?
Watch out for the sting of a ray
Can you hold your breath longer than a fur seal?
Learn to Draw - Short-finned Eel
How long do Māui dolphins live for?
Tangaroa
Stop plastic!
Sharks - super fast swimmers
Kaitiakitanga - Community story
Islands in the Hauraki Gulf
Hope Stories - 1+A Day
Will you help save the Māui dolphin?
What is a habitat?
An apex predator is ...
Does the slow down zone work?
What is a habitat?
Riley explores a marine park
What is a kelp forest?
What does Hauraki mean?
Pepeha
Whakataukī - Māori Proverbs
Riley's amazing ocean journey
Should all scientists wear glasses?
Learn to Draw - Orca
If you were a turtle, would you rather ...
What are zooplankton?
<