Download Georgia Habitats Study Guide

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