Using a Biological Key

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Using a Biological Key

• Major Animal Classifications

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• Autotrophic, perhaps producing flowers and seeds
• Kingdom Plantae

• Heterotrophic, not producing flowers and seeds
• Kingdom Animalia

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• No Backbone (an invertebrate)

• Backbone (a vertebrate) or notochord
• Phylum Chordata

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• Radial symmetry

• Asymmetrical or with bilateral symmetry

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• Soft body, usually transparent thin tentacles,
  body with nematocysts
• Phylum Cnidaria

• Firm body with internal support covered with
  epidermal plates that often have spines tiny,
  hollow tube feet protrude from the opening in the
  body covering and are used for movement
• Phylum Echinodermata

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• Exoskeleton
• Phylum Arthropoda

• No exoskeleton external shell or soft shell-less
  body

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• External shell
• Phylum Mollusca

• No external shell

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• Coiled shell
• Class Gastropoda

• Shell of two similar parts
• Class Pelecypoda

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• Wormlike body without sensory tentacles on head
• Phylum Annelida

• Non-wormlike body, or sensory tentacles on head
• Phylum Mollusca

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• Wormlike body with sensory tentacles on head
• Class Gastropoda

• Non-wormlike body, but eight or more tentacles
  used for grasping
• Class Cephalopoda

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• More than three pairs of legs

• Three pairs of walking legs
• Class Insecta

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• Four pairs of walking legs, body in two divisions
• Class Arachnida

• More than four pairs of walking legs perhaps
  large pincers on some legs often with large,
  segmented abdomen usually aquatic
• Class Malacostraca

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• Wings

• No Wings

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• Only transparent wings

• Non-transparent wings

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• Capable of inflicting sting with last abdominal
  segment
• Order Hymenoptera

• Not capable of inflicting a sting (may be able to
  bite)
• Order Diptera

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• Large, often colorful wings covered with scales
  that easily rub off
• Order Lepidoptera

• Thick, hard or leathery wings

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• Pair of hard wings covering a folded pair of
  thin, transparent wings
• Order Coleoptera

• Pair of leathery wings covering a pair of
  straight, thin, transparent wings
• Order Orthoptera

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• Piercing, sucking mouthparts for obtaining blood
• Order Siphonaptera

• Chewing mouthparts
• Order Hymenoptera

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• No vertebrae (backbone)
• Subphylum Cephalochordata

• Vertebrae (backbone)
• Subphylum Vertebrata

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• Jaws or beak

• No jaw or beak
• Class Agnatha

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• Skin is covered with scales

• Skin lacks scales

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• Fins breathing by means of gills

• No fins breathing by means of lungs
• Class Reptilia

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• Mouth on lower (ventral) side of body
• Class Chondrichthyes

• Mouth at front (terminal end) of body
• Class Osteichthyes

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• Legs or legless, no top and bottom shell
• Order Squamata

• Legs, and top and bottom shell
• Order Testudinata

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• Skin is naked (no hair, scales or feathers) and
  slimy
• Class Amphibia

• Skin with feathers or hair

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• Has a tail
• Order Caudata

• No tail
• Order Anura

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• Body covered with feathers
• Class Aves

• Body covered with hair
• Class Mammalia

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• Has hooves

• Has no hooves

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• Odd number of toes, each with a hoof
• Order Perissodactyla

• Even number of toes, each with a hoof
• Order Artiodactyla

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• Eats other animals

• Eats vegetable matter

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• Teeth for eating meat
• Order Carnivora

• No teeth usually eats insects
• Order Insectivora

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• Enlarged front teeth for gnawing

• No enlarged front teeth for gnawing

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• Legs suitable for crawling
• Order Rodentia

• Hind legs suitable for jumping
• Order Lagomorpha

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• Enlarged trunk, used for breathing and grasping
• Order Proboscidea

• Tendency to stand erect on two hind limbs
• Order Primates