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Introduction

Plants are able to make their own food when sunlight shines on their leaves.
Animals can't make their own food. Animals get the energy they need to survive from the food they eat. We humans are animals, and this is true for us as well.

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Animals that eat in your garden

Animal are everywhere, including the back garden of lots of houses. This clip explores the the kinds of food that animals eat there.

Watch: Feeding time for baby birds

Explore the kinds of things that animals eat in your garden.

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Three groups of animals

Animals fall into three different groups, based on what they eat:

Herbivores are animals, such as zebras or cows, that only eat plants.

Carnivores are animals, such as lions and eagles, that eat other animals.

Omnivores are animals, such as bears or rats, that eat both plants and other animals.

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Teeth and diets

Not all animals have the same teeth. Watch this video to learn about the different teeth animals have to suit their diet.

Watch: Animals with different teeth

Compare and contrast the kinds of teeth that animals have.

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Food chains

Food chains show us what each living thing eats. They include herbivores, omnivores and carnivores.

An example of a food chain  is grass eaten by a rabbit eaten by a fox.
Image caption,
An example of a food chain.

At any stage in a food chain, if animals do not get enough food they will and eventually die. If they don't eat the right types of foods they can often become unhealthy.

Most animals don't eat more than they need, but some of our pet dogs and cats might become overweight if they eat too much - just like us!

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Activity 1: Ordering food chains

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Activity 2: Animals and food quiz

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Activity 3: Making a fact file

Choose one animal from a different part of the planet. Research and create a fact file on your chosen animal - you could start with an emperor penguin from the South Pole or a scorpion from the desert.

Remember to include:

  • where it gets its food and water from
  • what sort of habitat it lives in
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Activity 4: Food chains game

Have fun playing these games about the different food chains around the world.

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Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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More on Animals including humans

Find out more by working through a topic