Natural Resources - Reading and Vocabulary Cut and Paste

All living things need water, air, and resources from the land to survive. They live in the places that have the things they need. For instance, there are many kinds of turtles, but they live a variety of habitats that suit their needs. Here are some examples.

A painted turtle lives in a wetland. A wetland has all the natural resources it needs to survive. It has air, freshwater and water plants, insects and small fish to eat. A painted turtle sits on a log or rock to warm its body in the sun during the day. It burrows into the sand or mud at night. It comes out of the water to lay its eggs in the sandy soil on shore. In the winter, when the pond is frozen, it will burrow into the mud at the bottom of the pond and hibernate until spring.

A desert tortoise cannot live in a wetland. It lives in a desert or dry grassland. It has air to breathe, but rarely drinks water. It gets the moisture it needs from the plants in its diet. In these habitats, a desert tortoise can find the grass, wildflowers and cacti to eat. It digs into the soil to make a burrow. It feeds in the mornings and evenings and returns to the burrow when it is too hot or cold. It lays its eggs in the soil near its burrow or under a protective shrubbery.

A sea turtle lives in the ocean. It cannot live on land. It comes to the surface to breathe. It drinks seawater instead of freshwater and gets rid of the salt as salty tears. Some sea turtles eat only jellyfish, while others eat only sponges and some eat fish and squid. Sea turtles only come up on land to lay their eggs in a nest they dig in the sand up on the beach.

Humans live in all habitats. We use natural resources to build our homes. We pull water up from underground waterways into wells or reservoirs. We raise plants and animals for food and clothing. We fish the ocean and lakes for food and sport – sometimes until the fish are almost gone. We mine for metals to make vehicles, and building supplies. We drill for oil and gas and dig for coal to heat our homes, run our cars, pave our roads, and run countless industries around the world. We cut down trees for lumber to build homes and businesses. As our population grows and resources around the world shrink, we have been increasing our use of renewable energy, such as wind and solar power.