How Animals are Classified

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How Animals are Classified

• From
• The Franklin Institute

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To Begin. . .

• To begin to classify animals, consider the
  backbone. Animals that have a backbone are called
  vertebrates. Animals that do not have a backbone
  are called invertebrates.

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Backbones or No Backbones

• All invertebrates lack backbones, but their other
  physical characteristics are quite varied. They
  must be, considering that 95 percent of all
  animals are invertebrates. Some, like worms, have
  soft bodies with no bones at all.
• Earthworms
• Worms

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Invertebrates

• Some other invertebrates, like snails, have soft
  bodies, but carry a hard shell for protection.
  These soft-bodied invertebrates that live in
  water or on land are grouped as mollusks. Besides
  snails, some other mollusks are clams, mussels,
  and squid.
• First Graders Go Clamming
• Zebra Mussel Information Resources
• The Zebra Mussel Page
• Invertebrates of The Sea

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Exoskeletons

• Some other invertebrates have tough coatings on
  the outside of their bodies (exoskeletons),
  jointed legs, and a segmented body. This group is
  known as the arthropods. Insects, spiders
  (arachnids), centipedes/millipedes, and shrimp,
  lobster, and crabs (crustaceans) are all
  arthropods. There are more insects (over 900,000
  species) than any other group of arthropods.
  There are more arthropods than any other group of
  invertebrates. And, considering that 95 percent
  of all animals are invertebrates, that makes
  arthropods truly the must abundant group.

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Weblinks

• Wonderful World of Insects
• 3-D Insects
• Spotlight on Insects
• Hotlist - Insects
• Entomologist
• Insects
• Minibeast World

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• One particularly popular member of the insect
  world is the butterfly. This arthropod, with its
  tough outer shell, characteristic wings, and
  antennae, belongs to the insect family.
• Monarchs and Migration
• Monarch Watch
• Monarch/Viceroy Mimicry
• Entomology for Beginners - Metamorphosis
• Butterfly Pavillion and Insect center
• Chuck's Butterflies
• The Butterfly Website
• Painted Lady and Red Admiral Butterflies
• Thinking Fountain
• Journey North
• The Butterfly Farmer
• Caterpillars Butterflies
• The South Carolina Butterfly Project

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Vertebrates

• All vertebrates have a backbone. Their other
  physical characteristics are quite varied. One
  way to consider groups of vertebrates is
  according to their diet. Animals that primarily
  eat plants are known as herbivores. Animals that
  feed mostly on meat are known as carnivores. Some
  animals, called omnivores, eat both plants and
  meat.

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Meat-eaters

• An animal's eating habits are influenced by its
  anatomy. Meat-eaters have jaws and teeth designed
  for tearing and crushing. The canine teeth are
  enlarged and the molars have sharp cusps. The
  intestinal tract is adapted for handling quick
  digestion of meat. Plant-eaters usually have
  large incisors for cropping and cutting plants.
  Their large, ridged molars are adapted for
  grinding tough plant fibers and their intestines
  are rather long, allowing for slow digestion of
  plant fibers.

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Weblinks

• Hotlist - Animals
• Vertebrate Flight
• The Electronic Zoo
• Zoo TV
• African Wildlife Resource
• The Lincoln Park Zoo - Virtual Zoo and Live
  Images
• Carnivorous Plants

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Cold- or Warm-blooded

• Another way to consider groups of vertebrates is
  according to their body temperature. All
  vertebrates are either cold-blooded or
  warm-blooded. A vertebrate is considered
  cold-blooded if its internal body temperature
  matches the external temperature around it. Fish,
  amphibians and reptiles are examples of
  cold-blooded animals. Their dependence on the
  water or land makes it necessary for them to
  adapt to the temperature surrounding them.

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Weblinks

• Reptiles Real and Robotic
• Salmon Page
• Salmon Club
• Fish Information Service
• Lincoln Park Zoo - Reptiles and Amphibians
• Jurassic Frogs
• Professor is Shell-Deep in Turtles

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Warm-blooded

• Warm-blooded animals are able to control their
  body temperature. No matter what the temperature
  is outside, their internal body temperature
  remains the same. Only birds and mammals are
  warm-blooded. Birds rely upon their feathers to
  help adapt to temperature changes.

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Weblinks

• Ornithological Resources
• Geographical Birding Guide (N.A.)
• Lincoln Park Zoo Birdlist
• A Pigeon Inquiry
• Banana-Pusher
• American Birding

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Mammals

• Mammals rely upon skin, hair, or fur to help
  adapt to temperature changes. Another
  characteristic of all mammals is the ability of
  the female to produce milk to feed her babies.
  Some mammals, like whales, live in the water and
  must adapt to changing water temperatures. Other
  land mammals, like wolves, have adapted to very
  cold climates. In general, however, warm-blooded
  animals must prepare for temperature extremes in
  order to survive.

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Weblinks

• Mammal Photos
• Lincoln Park Zoo - Mammals
• Wild Wolves
• What's So Bad About Bats?

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Bibliography

• http//sln.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/classify/classify
  .html