A wild animal is an animal that is, well, wild. This means that it isn't tame and it lives on its own without any help from people. A wild animal finds its own food, shelter, water and all its other needs in a specific natural habitat.

The two main types of habitats are land habitats and water habitats. Among the many types of land habitats are rainforests, deserts, and mountains. Because of their moist climate, rainforests support more kinds of plant and animal life than any other habitat. In contrast, deserts support only animals and plants that can live without much water. Mountain habitats have thin soil and cold temperatures. Only hardy plants and animals live there. Other types of forests, grasslands, and tundras provide other land habitats.

Water habitats may contain freshwater or saltwater. Freshwater habitats include streams, rivers, swamps, marshes, ponds, and lakes. Saltwater habitats include oceans, seas, salt lakes, salt marshes, and saltwater swamps. Some animals and plants, such as fish and seaweed, live entirely in the water. Others, such as otters and river weeds, live partly in and partly out of the water.