Freshwater

Freshwater

Freshwater
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 3 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	8.57

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		aside, biome, biomes, endure, extremely, freshwater, rhinoceros, saltwater, survival, creeks, however, nearly, several, surface, concentration, typical
	content words:		Sahara Desert

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Freshwater

¹ Aside from air, what is the one thing that animals need for survival? That's right! Water. On our planet Earth, water covers nearly 70% of the surface. Depending on the concentration of saline, water can be roughly divided into two categories: saltwater and freshwater. When we think of saltwater, we think of oceans. When we think of freshwater, however, we think of several things: rivers, creeks, lakes, springs, oases, swamps, bogs, marshes, wetlands, and many more. All of these different forms of freshwater environments make up the freshwater biome. Although the size of the ocean biome is much larger than that of the freshwater biome, it is the freshwater biome that supports a richer and more diversified animal and plant life than the ocean biome.

² Of all the animals residing in a freshwater biome, fish are the first that come to mind. In addition to fish, we can say that every land-dwelling animal is a member of at least two biomes -- one is what we usually group the animal under, and the other is the freshwater biome. For example, rhinoceros are our typical examples of animals living in grasslands. If there is no rain, grasses cannot grow and rivers dry out. If there are no grasses to eat and no water to drink, then rhinoceros will die. Even for animals that live in extremely hot and dry places, such as the Sahara Desert, they need freshwater to survive. Camels, nicknamed ships of the desert, can endure weeks or even months without food and water. As tough as they are, camels will eventually die if they cannot find an oasis in time!

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