Needs of Living Things

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Needs of Living Things

• What do we really need?

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Needs of Living Things
Can you remember the things that we really need
to survive?
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Needs of Living Things

• Thats right, we need
• Food
• Shelter
• Water and
• Air (Oxygen)

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Needs of Living Things
We have looked at the different types of food
that animals require, and their different homes.
Now we are going to look at the different hands
and feet that allow animals to live in those
places.
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Needs of Living Things
Have a look at your hand. A human hand has four
(4) fingers and one (1) opposing thumb.
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Needs of Living Things
What do you use your hands for? Talk with your
class about all the things we use our hands to
do. Get your teacher to write some of these on
the board.
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Needs of Living Things
There are lots of different types of hands and
feet. Some are for climbing, others are for
digging. Each animal uses its hands and feet in
different ways to help it survive
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Needs of Living Things
Here is a photo of a koalas hand.
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Needs of Living Things
Did you notice anything strange or different?
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Needs of Living Things
A koala has two thumbs!
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Needs of Living Things
The movement of the first finger around to create
a second thumb is an adaptation. It makes the
koala a much better climber than us.
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Needs of Living Things
A koalas foot also has special adaptations. A
koala has a thumb rather than a big toe. Two of
its other toes are fused together with the claws
making a comb which it uses for grooming. The
thumb on the foot is the only digit that does not
have a sharp curved claw. The claws help the
koala grip onto the trunk and branches of trees.
The movement of the first finger around to create
a second thumb is an adaptation. It makes the
koala a much better climber than us.
A koala has two thumbs!
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Needs of Living Things
A bandicoot uses its front feet, with their
sharp claws, to dig and scratch for insects and
worms. Its back feet have very long toes.
These long toes allow the bandicoot to move very
fast.
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Needs of Living Things
A rainbow Lorikeet uses its back legs and feet
to hang onto branches. Its front arms and hands
have adapted into wings. Each foot has four toes,
two facing each direction to provide the
strongest grip on the branch.
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Needs of Living Things
The claws on the front foot of the echidna are
like upside down shovels.
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Needs of Living Things
They are ideal for digging into anthills. The
claws on its hind feet are long and curved.
These are used to push the excess dirt, dug up by
the front feet, out of the way.
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Needs of Living Things
BOOKWORK TIME Can you cut out the different types
of hands and feet and match them to each animal?
Glue each one to the animals page, but be very
careful with your glue, you dont want to stick
the pages of your book together. When you have
finished that task, you can draw a picture of
your hands and feet on the back page.