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Georgia Habitats Study Guide Piedmont The Piedmont area is known for its red colored clay. The red soil is caused by minerals in the clay. There is also a lot of mining in this region. Granite, marble, and quartz are all found here. The word Piedmont means “foothills”. It covers about one-third of the state of Georgia, with rough hills in the north and rolling hills toward the south. It extends from the mountain area to the fall line. The fall line divides the Piedmont and the coastal plain. There are many waterfalls and rapids at the fall line. The Piedmont is the most populated area of Georgia. Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, is located in the Piedmont, as well as many other of Georgia’s large cities. Animals of the Piedmont include river otters, opossums, raccoons, squirrels, and deer. Many of these animals live in the heavy forest areas of the Piedmont. As these forests are cut down for development, more of these animals are being found in the city and suburb areas of the Piedmont. The Piedmont region has forests of oak, hickory, and pine. The nut-bearing trees feed the small mammals that live in the forests, and the evergreen trees provide shelter and food during the winter months. The Georgia Piedmont is home to over twenty kinds of birds of prey. They range in size from the massive bald eagle to the tiny Eastern screech-owl. Birds of prey have sharp talons and keen eyesight. Mountains (including Blue Ridge, Appalachian Plateau, and Valley/Ridge) Brasstown Bald is the highest mountain peak in Georgia. Elevation is the word that means how high a mountain goes. The elevation of Brasstown Bald is 4,784 feet. The mountain region of Georgia contains some of the oldest rocks in the state. The Blue Ridge mountain range is part of the Appalachian Range. It is older than both the Rockies and the Himalayas. The black bear is found in the mountain region, and also in the swamp and marsh region. It can reach almost 500 pounds. Humans are the only known predators of the black bear. The bears are not usually aggressive to people, but they do like to hang around campsites looking for food to eat. They will eat plants, insects, and smaller animals. Bears hibernate in order to survive cold mountain winters. The mountain regions are known for its forests of tulip poplars, maples, hemlock, and basswood. Birds of the mountains include the warbler, nuthatch, and woodpecker. There are over 27 kinds of salamanders in the mountains as well as many trout. Animals also include the bobcat, gray fox, beaver, and woodchuck. The higher you go in the mountains, the colder it gets. The soil nearest the top is extremely rocky. There are many streams in the mountains which help to make the soil near the bottom moist. Swamp and Marsh The Okefenokee is the largest swamp in North America. Its name means “Land of the Trembling Earth”. It is a type of wetland. The Okefenokee contains fresh water. The swamp and marsh habitat is located within the Coastal Plains, but it has very different plants and animals living in it. Most of the swamp/marsh animals live in an open area with shallow water and tall grass. The birds in this area tend to have long, skinny legs to help them walk through the area. Birds that live in the area include the heron, the ibis, and the sandhill crane. There are more alligators in this area than there are people. There are over 36 kinds of snakes and 5 of them are poisonous. There are also meat-eating (carnivorous) plants in this area. Because of the poor soil, these plants get their nutrients by eating insects. The pitcher plant and bladderwort are examples of carnivorous plants. Coastal Plain The Coastal Plain has hot, humid summers and mild winters. Its sandy soil makes it ideal for farming. The Coastal Plain goes from the fall line to the Atlanta Ocean coastline. Many types of animals can be found roaming the wide open areas of the Coastal Plain. Herds of wild hogs feed off the plants that grow there. Other animals include rabbits, deer, muskrats, and snakes. The city of Savannah on the coast of Georgia has many beautiful live oak and cypress trees covered with Spanish moss. The saw palmetto is a small palm. The Coastal Plain also has many types of turtles and tortoises. The bog turtle is the rarest reptile in the state. There are more loggerhead sea turtles than any other kind of turtle in the U.S. coastal waters. Sand dunes are constantly formed in this environment. Sea oats are one kind of plant that grows well in sand dunes. The shallow roots of sea oats help trap sand and hold it in place against the constant winds. This helps new dunes to form. In Georgia, sea oats are protected by law. Off the coast of Georgia lie the barrier islands. These islands are separated from the coastline by a small expanse of ocean. Gray’s Reef is the largest near-shore live bottom reef and it is located here. Vocabulary Coast - any place that the ocean touches land Estuary - the place where two kinds of water mix Environment – all the living and nonliving things that surround an organism Organism – any living thing Ecosystem – all the living and nonliving things that interact in an environment Habitat – a place where a plant or animal lives Swamp – a wetland in which mostly trees and other woody plants grow Marsh – s wetland in which mostly grasses and other soft stem plants grow Sandbar – a long ridge of sand in shallow water Dune – a mound of sand formed by wind and moving water Continental shelf – a gently sloping area of ocean bottom that is near the shore Reef – a ridge of coral, sand, or rock on the ocean bottom Animal Habitats http://www.valdosta.edu/~mgvaldez/topic.html Chattahoochee Nature Center http://chattnaturecenter.org/animal-facts.html The Nature Conservancy, Southern Forests - Georgia http://www.nature.org/pressroom/ip/about/georgia.html 7 Natural Wonders of Georgia http://library.thinkquest.org/5447/default.html Georgia Explorer, Discover our Coast http://www.valdosta.edu/~lmterry/topic.html Georgia's Endangered Animals, US Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/Athens/endangered.html Okefenokee Swamp Park http://www.okeswamp.com/animals.htm