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Q: What is an Animal? Q: How do we group animals into categories? Q: Why is a scientific classification system necessary? Q: What is the current seven-step system of classifying all living organisms? Q: What is this taxonomic system based upon? Q: Is the current taxonomic system accepted completely in scien- tific circles? Q: Why aren�t common names useful for describing creatures? Q: How did Aristotle contribute to animal classification? Q: Who was Carolus Linnaeus? Q: How did Linnaeus change our scientific classification system? Q: Why did Linnaeus choose Latin names for organisms? Q: What is a hierarchical taxonomy? Q: What is binomial nomenclature? Q: Why are humans called Homo sapiens? Q: What is a taxonomist and what do they do? Q: What are the main categories in the present scientific classifi- cation system,in order? Q: What is an easy way to remember the main categories? Q: What are some phylum names in Kingdom Animalia? Q: How are all living organisms named? Q: Why are organisms grouped the way they are? Q: What is the phylum to which humans belong? Q: What are some characteristics of all creatures belonging to Phylum Chordata? Q: Are horses and donkeys related? Explain. Q: What did we learn from the visit with the curator at the bone- yard? Q: How many kingdoms do scientists believe that there are? Q: Do all scientists agree on every aspect of the present scientific classification system? Classification of Animals Scientists have divided the Animal Kingdom into two main groups: Vertebrates (animals with a backbone) and Invertebrates (animals without a backbone) Vertebrates Animals with backbones can be divided into five more groups: Mammals, Birds, Fish, Reptile, Amphibians Invertebrates Animals without a backbone. Animals With Backbones MAMMAL FISH REPTILE BIRD AMPHIBIAN * Animals with backbones are called vertebrates. * Vertebrates include many different kinds of animals. They can be found just about everywhere � in oceans, rivers, forests, mountains, and deserts. * Animals with backbones can be broken up into smaller groups by characteristics. * They are: Animals With Backbones Fish Fish Characteristics * They are the largest group of vertebrates. * They come in many sizes and shapes. * Many fish are covered with scales that protects them. * They have fins that help them to steer and balance in the water. * Their body temperatures vary in the water. * They breathe through gills. Amphibians Amphibian Characteristics * Their body temperature varies with their surroundings. * Amphibians hatch from eggs and they can live on land as an adult. * Young amphibians breathe through gills like fish. * Adult amphibians breathe air from lungs. * Some have smooth moist skin. Reptiles Reptile Characteristics * Reptiles can move at various speeds. * They lay their eggs on land. * They have dry scaly skin. * They can include animals as large as a crocodile. * Their body temperature varies with their environment. * They live in hot, dry deserts and in warm, wet tropical rain forests. Birds Bird Characteristics * Birds lay hard shelled eggs that hatch in their nest. * There are about 9,000 types of birds. * Birds are vertebrates that have wings and they are covered with feathers. No other animal has this feature. * The bird�s skeleton is very light in weight. This helps them to fly. * Birds range in size from as small as your finger or as large as a human. Mammals Mammal Characteristics * They include a wide range of animals: ape, lions, kangaroos, bats, and etc. * Their young grows inside the mother. * Humans are mammals but they (animals) have more hair than we do. * The hair keeps the animals warm. * They feed milk to their young. Invertebrates Invertebrate Classification * What is an Invertebrate? * Invertebrates are animals that do not have backbones. * 97 % of the animal kingdom is made up of invertebrates. * Some can be found in ponds, oceans, and other water environments. * Insects and some other invertebrates have exoskeletons. An Exoskeleton is a hard outer covering that protects an animal�s body and gives it support. There are six groups of invertebrates. They are: Sponges Sponges Characteristics * They look like plants but they are animals. * Sponges stay fixed in one place. * Their bodies are full of holes and their skeleton is made of spiky fibers. * Water flows through the holes of their body which enables them to catch food. Corals, Hydras, and Jellyfish Characteristics * Corals look like plants but they belong to the animal kingdom. * They have soft tubelike bodies with a single opening surrounded by armlike parts called tentacles. * They feed by catching tiny animals in their tentacles. * Hydras have tentacles that catch their food. * They move from place to place. * Hydras are much smaller animals. * Jellyfish catch shrimp,fish, and other animals in its tentacles also. Worms: Flatworms, Roundworms, and Segmented worms Worm Characteristics * Worms are tube-shaped invertebrates which allows them to be put into groups. * They can be found in both land and water environments. Flatworms * They have a head and a tail, and flattened bodies. * A tapeworm is a flatworm that can live inside the body of animals and humans. It can cause you to become sick. Roundworm * They have rounded bodies. * They live in damp places and they can also live inside humans and other animals. * They too can make people and other animals sick. Segmented worms * The earthworm belongs to this group of worms. * Their bodies are divided in segments, or sections. * They prefer burrowing through moist soil. * This allows them to move easily and it keeps them from drying out. Starfish and Sea Urchins Characteristics * It belongs to a group of invertebrates that have tiny tube feet and body parts arranged around a central area. * A starfish has five arms and no head! * The hard, spiny covering of the starfish gives the animal protection. * A sea urchin belongs to this same group. * Its body is covered with spines. Mollusks Mollusk Characteristics * A mollusk has a hard shell, a rough tongue, and a muscular foot. * A snail is a mollusk with a single hard shell. * A clam has two shells joined together by a hinge. * Squids and octopuses are also mollusk. * Their hard shells are small, but they are inside their bodies. Arthropods Arthropod Characteristics * Arthropods are a group of invertebrates with jointed legs and hard exoskeleton that protect the arthropod. * As it grows, it molts, or sheds its old exoskeleton. * Then it grows a new exoskeleton that allows its body to continue to grow. * A lobster is an arthropod. * The largest group of arthropods are insects. Arthropods: Insects, Spiders, and Centipedes/Millipedes * They are the only invertebrates that can fly. * Insects have bodies divided into three parts, and six legs. * Spiders have jointed legs (eight legs), jaws and fangs. * Centipedes and millipedes are also arthropods. * Centipedes uses its many legs to run from enemies. * Millipedes roll up their bodies when they sense danger approaching. Invertebrates do not have backbones. They include the smallest animals such as: spiders, mites, insects, and worms. Vertebrates do have backbones. They include animals such as: Horses, birds, cats, dogs, fish, lizards, and snakes. Zoology |