Animal Classification

Unit Two – God’s Living CreationChapter Five – Animal Classification

Animal ClassificationIntroduction

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of animals is whether or not they have backbones.Invertebrates – animals without backbonesVertebrates – animals with backbones

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates

There are more invertebrates than vertebrates.95% of animals are invertebrates.Scientists split invertebrates into smaller groups based on their unique characteristics.

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Sponges and Stinging Animals

SpongesThe water goes through tiny pores (holes) in the outside of the sponge. When the water flows through the sponge, the sponge extracts nutrients and small organisms that it needs.

JellyfishNematocysts – tiny stinging organelles used to capture food

Sea anemonesCorals

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world.

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Mollusks

Mollusks – animals that have soft bodies and mantles (special parts that form a shell)

Snails, oysters, clamsBivalve – animal with two shells

Clams, mussels, oystersGastropods – “stomach footed”

Univalve – animal with only one shellSnail

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Mollusks

Slug – mollusk without a shellNudibranchs – a type of slug found in the ocean

Cephalopods – moves with a jetlike motion by forcing water through a tube in its body

Squids, octopuses, chambered nautilus

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Echinoderms

Radial symmetry – equal parts radiate from the centerThe bodies of echinoderms are shaped like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Each of the spokes is the same. All echinoderms live in water and move around by using thousands of little tube feet.

Sea stars (starfish), sea urchins, sand dollarsFilter feeders – eat whatever comes floating through the water

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Echinoderms (continued)

Characteristics of EchinodermsHave hard skeletonsProtect themselves in different ways

Spines on their bodiesHide in cracksUse camouflageBreak off its own arm and grow another

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Flatworms

Bilateral symmetry – can be divided down the middle and be the same on each sideFlatworms are either:

Parasitic – live on or in other living organisms (hosts); depend on their hosts for nourishmentFree-living – independent of other organisms

Planarians

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Roundworms

Smooth and roundCan be parasites or free-livingRoundworms help decompose dead organisms, and therefore, help fertilize the soil.

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Segmented Worms

Annelid – segmented wormSegments – similar piecesSetae – hairlike structures that worms use to moveLeeches

Suck blood only from the outside

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Segmented Worms (continued)

Sea wormsEarthworms

Burrow around and make holes for air to get into the soilThe air helps plants in the soil to grow.Break down complex plant matter into nutrients that the plants around it can use.

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Arthropods

Arthropod – “jointed foot”Jointed legs and segmented bodies

Exoskeleton – an outer hard covering that protects the animalMolt – a process of shedding the exoskeleton in order to grow a new one and continue growing

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Arthropods – Crustaceans

Shrimp, lobsters, crabsCharacteristics of crustaceans

Have at least five pairs of jointed legsBreathe through gillsHave some sort of claw

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Arthropods – Arachnids

Arachnids – have eight legs and two body segmentsSpiders, scorpions, ticks, mites

TicksParasiticUse animals and humans as hostsTheir bites can spread diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease

SpidersMost familiar arachnidsSpinnerets – silk-spinning organs in the back of spiders

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Arthropods – Centi & Millipedes

Have many body segments and many legs

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Arthropods – Insects

Have three body segmentsHead, thorax, abdomen

Have three pairs of legsHave two pairs of wingsMouthparts

Beetles – chewing mouthpartsMosquitoes – piercing and sucking mouthpartsButterflies & Moths – siphoning mouthparts

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Arthropods – Insects (continued)

Metamorphosis – the process where an insect becomes an adultTwo types of metamorphosis

Incomplete metamorphosis – three stagesEggs, nymph, adult

Complete metamorphosis – four stagesEgg, larva, pupa, adult

Animal ClassificationInvertebrates – Arthropods – Insects (continued)

Bible IntegrationProverbs 30:25-28Even God’s animals behave in such a way that glorifies God. We choose our behavior. Shouldn’t it be one that honors God?!

Animal ClassificationVertebrates

Invertebrates make up most of the species of the animal kingdom.Vertebrates make up most of the size of the animal kingdom.Vertebrates are able to grow larger than invertebrates because their backbone gives support for their greater weight.Groups used to classify vertebrates

Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Fish

All breathe through gillsCold-blooded – find warmth or coolness from their environmentsGrouped based on their skeletons – cartilage or bone

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Fish – Cartilage fish

Sharks, rays, and skatesCartilage – bonelike substance, but softer and more bendable than bone

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Fish – Bony fish

Have skeletons that are stronger and harder than cartilage fishBluegill, bass, trout, seahorse, eel

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Amphibians

Cold-blooded“Double life” – part in the water and part on landStages of frog metamorphosis

Egg – lay eggs in waterLarva – some eggs hatch into tadpoles

At the end of the larval stage, they lose their gills, grow legs, and move onto land

Adult

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Amphibians (continued)

FrogsSmooth skinAlways live near waterLarge, powerful hind legs for jumpingLay their eggs in clusters

ToadsShort legs – hop short distancesNubby skin that makes them look like they have wartsLay their eggs in long chains

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Reptiles

Cold-bloodedHave scaly skin that allows them to live in areas away from waterThree major groups

Turtles, lizards and snakes, and crocodilians

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Reptiles – Turtles

Clearly identified by its unique skeletal structureOmnivores – eating both plants and animalsHerbivores – eating only plants

Tortoises – high, domed shells

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Reptiles – Lizards and Snakes

LizardsLook like salamanders (amphibians), but belong to reptile group

SnakesCarnivores – eat only animalsSwallow their meals wholeUpper and lower jaws that are not tightly attachedCan swallow prey that is larger than the diameter of their own bodies

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Reptiles – Crocodilians

Alligators, caimans, crocodilesScaly skin, large bodies, short legs

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Birds

Birds are birds b/c they have feathersFeathers assist in flight, protect them from the water they swim in and provide needed warmthBirds that fly have very lightweight skeletons. Their bones are very hard, but they contain hollow, air-filled cavitiesGod has given each bird the perfect beak for the food it eatsWarm-blooded – having body temps that stay the same, regardless of their environment

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals

All have hair or furWarm-bloodedMost bear live youngAll feed their young with milk from the mother’s bodyAll have a four-chambered heartHave three ear bonesAll breathe using lungs

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals – Monotremes

Monotremes – lay eggs

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals – Marsupials

Have pouches where their babies grow big enough to function

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals – Rodents, Rabbits, Moles

RodentsMice, rats, squirrels, beavers, porcupinesHave large front teeth that never stop growing

RabbitsTeeth form differently than the rodent

MolesInsectivores – eat insects as their primary food

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals – Bats

Only mammals that can flyNocturnal – come out at nightEcholocation – a technique used by bats in order for them to know where they are

Bats make high frequency clicks that bounce off objects. The bats judge the distance to the object by the time it takes the sound to return.

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals – Hoofed mammals

Two groupsThose with odd number of toes on each hoof

Horses, zebras, burros, mulesThose with even number of toes on each hoof

“Cloven hoof”Deer, giraffes, camels, cattle, sheep, antelope, hippopotamus

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals – Carnivores

Meat-eatersCats

Have retractable claws – the claws disappear into its paw when it does not need them for hunting or climbingPrides – group of lionsLions, cougars, tigers, jaguars

Dogs

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals – Carnivores (continued)

PinnipedsSeals, walruses, sea lionsPrimary food is fish, though they will eat mollusks, crustaceans, and even penguinsCan live in the ocean and on land

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals – Marine mammals

WhalesBlubber – fatty substance, rich in oil, that insulates whales against the coldBaleen whales

Instead of teeth, they have giant plates, called baleen plates, that help them gather plankton and tiny crustaceans (krill)

Pods – groups of whalesToothed whales

Dolphins, porpoises, orcas, sperm whalesUse echolocation (like bats)

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Mammals – Primates

Have good eyesightHave “hands” that can graspTwo groups

LemursMonkeys

New World Monkeys – spend much of their time in treesOld World Monkeys – spend much of their time on the ground

Animal ClassificationVertebrates – Humans

Genesis 1:24-27, 2:7One difference between man and animals is that God gave man a soul.Man was created separately from the rest of creation and was formed in the likeness and image of God.