How to Write an Animal Report
Decide what animal you will write about., Research topics related to animal's name and appearance., Know animal's lifespan and breeding pattern., Identify animal's habitat and range., Learn about animal's diet., Notice animal's behavior., Get to...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide what animal you will write about.
You'll be spending a lot of time thinking about the animal you select, so make sure you choose one that you will enjoy! If your teacher has given you a range of animals to choose from, pick one that you feel interested in.Choose an animal about which you can find a good deal of information.
Read as much about the animal as you can, either online or in books and other resources.
Encyclopedias are a great resource for learning about animals. -
Step 2: Research topics related to animal's name and appearance.
Your report should include facts about your animal's name.
Most animals have a Latin name in addition to a more common name.
Sometimes an animal is known by one name in English, and other names in other languages.
Include this information in your report.Describing what your animal looks like will be an important part of your report.
You might want to know if your animal changes appearance over the course of its lifetime.
Does the male look different than the female? If so, how? Include details about how the animal's appearance might be an adaptation to its environment.
For example, polar bears developed white fur because they live on glaciers.
Now that glaciers are melting, the bears' camouflage is losing its effectiveness. , Knowing how long your animal tends to live under natural conditions will be good to include in your report.
Whether the animal lives for hundreds of years (like a giant tortoise) or has a lifespan of only 24 hours (like the mayfly), this fact will be important to include.
Including information on the breeding habits of your animal will be part of showing your understanding.
Does your animal have a mating season? If so, when is it? Perhaps your animal reproduces by itself.
Any information related to its breeding will be important to include in your report., Where does your animal live? Does it move around a great deal during the course of its lifetime, or does it live in a limited range? It will help your reader to know more about your animal if you include this information in your report.Knowing where your animal lives might have implications for other parts of your report.
For example, if your animal migrates annually from the Arctic tundra to South America, it probably requires water stops along the way.
You might want to include any information about pollution in the ponds, lakes and rivers along its migration route.
Learning about the animal's home will help you understand the animal better. , Is your animal a carnivore, or meat-eater? Does your animal only eat plants? Or does he eat a combination of foods, depending on what he can find.Notice the way an animal's diet affects his habitat, and the other way around.
Is there anything surprising in the animal's diet? For instance, the Great Blue Whale is the largest mammal in the world, yet its diet is almost entirely comprised of tiny fish only 1-2 centimeters long., What are some interesting patterns of behavior that you've learned about your animal? Does it have different behavior in different parts of its life? If your animal is most active at night, write about this.
If it spends much of its life dormant (not moving), this is interesting to know.The behavior of your animal likely affects its habitat, living area, and eating patterns.
It's good to show adaptive reasons for the animal's behavior if they're known.
Continue to read and research until you find as many of the answers to your questions as possible. , What are your animal's predators? What animals eat or otherwise kill the animal you are researching? How have the animal's predators resulted in adaptations, such as camouflage or development of protective shells?A large predator in many animals' environment is mankind.
Explore the ways that human activity affects your animal.
Is this animal in danger of extinction? If so, what has happened to make this the case? -
Step 3: Know animal's lifespan and breeding pattern.
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Step 4: Identify animal's habitat and range.
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Step 5: Learn about animal's diet.
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Step 6: Notice animal's behavior.
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Step 7: Get to know your animal's enemies.
Detailed Guide
You'll be spending a lot of time thinking about the animal you select, so make sure you choose one that you will enjoy! If your teacher has given you a range of animals to choose from, pick one that you feel interested in.Choose an animal about which you can find a good deal of information.
Read as much about the animal as you can, either online or in books and other resources.
Encyclopedias are a great resource for learning about animals.
Your report should include facts about your animal's name.
Most animals have a Latin name in addition to a more common name.
Sometimes an animal is known by one name in English, and other names in other languages.
Include this information in your report.Describing what your animal looks like will be an important part of your report.
You might want to know if your animal changes appearance over the course of its lifetime.
Does the male look different than the female? If so, how? Include details about how the animal's appearance might be an adaptation to its environment.
For example, polar bears developed white fur because they live on glaciers.
Now that glaciers are melting, the bears' camouflage is losing its effectiveness. , Knowing how long your animal tends to live under natural conditions will be good to include in your report.
Whether the animal lives for hundreds of years (like a giant tortoise) or has a lifespan of only 24 hours (like the mayfly), this fact will be important to include.
Including information on the breeding habits of your animal will be part of showing your understanding.
Does your animal have a mating season? If so, when is it? Perhaps your animal reproduces by itself.
Any information related to its breeding will be important to include in your report., Where does your animal live? Does it move around a great deal during the course of its lifetime, or does it live in a limited range? It will help your reader to know more about your animal if you include this information in your report.Knowing where your animal lives might have implications for other parts of your report.
For example, if your animal migrates annually from the Arctic tundra to South America, it probably requires water stops along the way.
You might want to include any information about pollution in the ponds, lakes and rivers along its migration route.
Learning about the animal's home will help you understand the animal better. , Is your animal a carnivore, or meat-eater? Does your animal only eat plants? Or does he eat a combination of foods, depending on what he can find.Notice the way an animal's diet affects his habitat, and the other way around.
Is there anything surprising in the animal's diet? For instance, the Great Blue Whale is the largest mammal in the world, yet its diet is almost entirely comprised of tiny fish only 1-2 centimeters long., What are some interesting patterns of behavior that you've learned about your animal? Does it have different behavior in different parts of its life? If your animal is most active at night, write about this.
If it spends much of its life dormant (not moving), this is interesting to know.The behavior of your animal likely affects its habitat, living area, and eating patterns.
It's good to show adaptive reasons for the animal's behavior if they're known.
Continue to read and research until you find as many of the answers to your questions as possible. , What are your animal's predators? What animals eat or otherwise kill the animal you are researching? How have the animal's predators resulted in adaptations, such as camouflage or development of protective shells?A large predator in many animals' environment is mankind.
Explore the ways that human activity affects your animal.
Is this animal in danger of extinction? If so, what has happened to make this the case?
About the Author
Stephanie West
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in organization and beyond.
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