Grade 1 - Animals and Habitats

Animals and Habitats: Supplemental Guide 8A | Animals of the Saltwater Habitat 163

When the coral animal dies, its skeleton remains in place and other

coral animals will come and live on top of the old skeletons. The

colony in which the coral lives is called a coral reef.^5

 Show image 8A-7: Rattenborough scuba diving

I’m here in the Pacifi c Ocean at a coral reef. In addition to the

coral, there are many other kinds of animals around a reef! I have

found everything from fi sh and shellfi sh, to octopi and sharks, to

snails and turtles.^6

 Show image 8A-8: Starfi sh

Here is an animal that lies in and around this coral reef and

whose name most of you can probably guess based on its shape.

It’s a starfi sh! This starfi sh, also known as a seastar, has fi ve arms,

which make it look like a star. Although it is called a starfi sh, it’s

not actually a fi sh. It belongs to a group of animals that have a

spiny skin all over their bodies. If I touch the starfi sh, I can feel that

its body is covered with tiny, hard bumps that help protect it from

predators, such as sharks, manta rays, and other fi sh.^7 Starfi sh

are also able to protect themselves in another amazing way: if

another animal actually catches and bites off one of the starfi sh’s

arms, the starfi sh will not die, and it can still escape! In time, a new

arm will grow back to replace the missing arm! When an animal

regrows a missing body part, it’s called regeneration.

 Show image 8A-9: Starfi sh on ocean fl oor

The starfi sh doesn’t swim. It crawls very slowly along the

ocean fl oor using hundreds of tiny tube feet. These feet attach to

whatever the starfi sh is crawling over. As it crawls along the fl oor,

the starfi sh is always on the lookout for food. This starfi sh’s prey

includes fi sh, snails, clams, oysters, and crabs.

 Show image 8A-10: Lobster

Here is another animal that lives in salt water. This shellfi sh

is called a lobster. Lobsters live on the ocean fl oor in openings

between rocks. Their hard shell stops most other animals from

trying to eat them. Lobsters have many legs that they use for

5 So the coral reef has both coral
animals and the skeletons of those
animals.

6 Octopi is the plural of octopus—
one octopus, but many octopi.

7 What is a predator? (an animal that
eats other animals)