The top of the food chain

Some animals are said to be at the top of the food chain. This is because they are not hunted by other animals.

No other animal hunts the lion. The lion is at the top of the food chain. Can you think why?

Food Webs

In the wild, animals may eat more than one thing, so they belong to more than one food chain.

To get the food they need, small herbivores may eat lots of different plants, and carnivores may eat many different animals.

We can show this by using a food web, which is just a more complicated version of a food chain.

Breaking the Chain

Organisms living in a habitat depend on each other.

If one part of a food chain dies out or is greatly reduced, the consumers have to find alternative food, move away, or starve.

This then affects more consumers in the same way.

Endangered or Extinct?

The number of people in the world is growing at an alarming rate.

But this is not true for all animals.

In some cases, there are only a few of one type of animal left in the wild.

These animals are endangered .

If they die out completely, they become extinct .

Why does this happen?

There are lots of reasons why animals become endangered or extinct.The most common are:

• loss of habitat (woodlands cut down, rivers drying up, hedgerows removed).

• chemicals or pollution poison the animals.

• hunting (for sport, their fur, tusks or meat).

Caring for the Environment

It is in our own best interests to look after the world we live in.

If a habitat is lost or damaged, it has an effect on everything else, even if we do not see or understand it straight away.

Remember - once something becomes extinct, it's gone forever!