The Grasslands: The Prairie

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The GrasslandsThe Prairie
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This is the part of the Grasslands called The
Prairie
The prairie is a type of grassland with plenty of
plants and grasses. Very few trees grow on the
prairie.
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This is where The North American Prairie is
located.
The Prairie has a very dry climate.
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Nonliving parts of The Prairie

• Rocks
• Soil (humus)
• water

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Humus- contains decaying plant and animal remains
that mix with rock to make rich, dark soil
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In the Prairie you will find

• Herbivores- eat only plants
• Carnivores- eat only meat
• Omnivores- eat both plants and animals

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Some living animals in The Prairie
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Prairie Dog
Prairie dogs burrow to make prairie dog towns.
The towns have hundreds of prairie dogs and
include nurseries, bedrooms with grass and
listening rooms. In the listening rooms they
listen for predators.
Herbivore
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Coyote
Carnivore
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American Buffalo/Bison
herbivore
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Raccoon
Omnivore
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Bull Snake
Carnivore
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Grasshopper
The grasshopper adapts to the Prairie by using
camouflage.
Herbivore
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Mouse
These are baby mice called pups.
Omnivore
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Butterfly
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Hawk
What kind of Prairie animals do you think the
Hawk would eat?
Carnivore
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Dragonfly
The dragonfly is a predator that eats prey like
ants and butterflies.
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Living Plants on the Prairie grow because of
pollination- the act of placing pollen on the
pistil of the flower in order to make a new
flower.
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Here are some plants you will find on The
Prairie
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Prairie Crocus
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Clovers
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Daisies
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Coneflowers
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Why do you think a butterfly is a pollinator?
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We also get wheat, oats, rice and corn from The
Prairies.
Wheat
Oats
Rice plant
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ActivityNow that you know more about the food
chain, use these pictures to create a food chain
that you would find on The Prairie. Remember,
the food chain always starts with the sun.
grasshopper
mouse
sun
coyote
raccoon
grass
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Remember, In order for animals to survive in The
Prairie they mustMigrate- to move to a new
locationAdapt- to adjust to a particular
environment orDie
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Adaptations- are things that help a plant or
animal survive
Animals must tolerate conditions of dryness,
wind and heat to adapt to Prairie conditions.
Many animals are nocturnal, which enables them to
hunt at night.
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Now you are a Grasslands expert!Which part of
the Grasslands was your favorite?
The African Savanna
The Australian Savanna
The Prairie