Hi! I'm Mr. Bear
Plants are called producers because they use light from the Sun to make their own food.
Animals are called consumers because they cannot make their own food. They must eat plants or other animals to survive.
Animals that eat other animals to survive are also called predators. Animals that are eaten by other animals are called prey.
Some animals can be both prey and predators.
Some animals are predators because they eat other animals, but they can also be eaten by other animals and become prey.
A link in a food chain can be either a plant life or an animal.
A food chain shows what living things eat in order to survive.
A food chain always starts with a plant and ends with an animal.
Each link in a food chain is food for the next link.
Most food chains have no more than four or five links.

Every food chain is different.

There are many different food chains for the Hudson River.

Look at the fish!!

Instructions:
Scroll your mouse over each image to learn about this food chain.
Once the text appears be careful not to move the mouse or the text will disappear!

The Sun always starts a food chain.
The red-tailed hawk is a consumer. It does not produce its own food. The red-tailed hawk eats the striped bass to survive. Because the red-tailed hawk eats the striped bass it is also a predator. The narrow leaf cattail is a plant that grows in the Hudson River. It is a producer. It uses the sun and water to make its own food. It does not eat other plants or animals.
The striped bass is a consumer. It does not produce its own food. The striped bass eats the blue crab to survive. Because the striped bass eats blue crabs it is also a predator. The blue crab is a consumer. It does not produce its own food. The blue crab eats plants in order to survive. The blue crab also eats insects to survive. Insects are animals. Because the blue crab eats insects it is also a predator.


Click Here To Learn More About Food Chains!