Habitats

Guides to Earth’s major habitats: where they are, their conditions, the life they support and what threatens them.

• Oceans — The largest connected habitat on Earth, from sunlit surface waters to the dark deep sea.
• Tropical Rainforest — Dense, humid forests near the equator, home to more species than any other land habitat.
• Coral Reefs — Shallow tropical structures built by corals, crowded with fish, invertebrates and color.
• Temperate Forests — Broadleaf and conifer forests of the mid-latitudes, shaped by four distinct seasons.
• Savannas & Grasslands — Wide grasslands and tree-dotted savannas where rain arrives in seasons.
• Deserts — Dry landscapes of sand, rock and scrub where life is adapted to extreme conditions.
• Wetlands — Marshes, swamps, bogs and mangroves — land that is flooded or waterlogged for part of the year.
• Freshwater — Rivers, streams, lakes and ponds: a tiny share of Earth’s water holding a surprising variety of life.
• Mountains — High slopes where climate changes with altitude, from forested valleys to icy peaks.
• Arctic — Sea ice, tundra and cold ocean around the North Pole, where life follows extreme seasons.
• Antarctic — An ice-covered continent surrounded by the rich, cold Southern Ocean.