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Students learn that all animals need to eat food and drink water to have energy to play and grow.
Imagine you are a tiny squirrel waking up in a big forest. Your tummy makes a loud 'grumble' sound! Do you know what your body is trying to tell you?
Just like a car needs gas to move, animals need energy to move, play, and stay warm. Animals get this energy from two very important things: food and water. Without food, an animal would feel very tired and could not grow bigger. Water is just as important! It keeps an animal's body working correctly. Every single animal on Earth, from the tiniest ant to the biggest whale, must eat and drink to stay alive.
Quick Check
What are the two main things all animals need to have energy and grow?
Answer
Animals need food and water.
Not all animals eat the same thing! Some animals, like cows and rabbits, love to eat plants like grass and carrots. Other animals, like lions or hawks, eat meat from other animals. There are even some animals, like bears and humans, that eat both plants and meat! Every animal has a special mouth and teeth made for the kind of food they eat. For example, a bird might have a sharp beak to crack open or hard seeds at a time.
Let's look at what these animals eat: 1. A Butterfly drinks sweet nectar from flowers. 2. A Frog uses its sticky tongue to catch flies. 3. A Horse munches on green grass in a field.
Quick Check
Do all animals eat the exact same kind of food?
Answer
No, some eat plants, some eat meat, and some eat both.
Animals get their food in different ways depending on where they live. Pets, like dogs or cats, have human friends who put food in a bowl for them every day. They don't have to look far! Wild animals, like foxes or owls, have to find their own food in nature. They use their senses—like a strong sense of smell or very sharp eyes—to hunt for a meal or find berries on a bush.
A wild squirrel must work hard to eat: 1. It uses its nose to smell for buried nuts. 2. It climbs high trees to find acorns. 3. It hides food in the ground so it has something to eat when it gets cold.
Think about a pet cat versus a wild tiger: 1. The Pet Cat waits for a human to open a can of food. 2. The Wild Tiger must hide in tall grass and wait for the perfect moment to catch its food. 3. Both animals need food for energy, but the tiger has to be much more active to get its meal!
Why do animals need to eat food?
Where does a pet dog usually get its food?
True or False: All animals eat only grass.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to remember: What are the two things every animal needs to survive?
Practice Activity
Look at a picture of your favorite animal. Can you guess if it eats plants, meat, or both? Ask a grown-up to help you find out if you are right!