CLASSIFICATION AN INTRODUCTION TO YEAR 7 SCIENCE Humans classify everything. Why do humans classify music as rock, hip-hop, country/western, folk, rap, etc. ? Classification helps us identify things. Sort through and find things. In Biology: classification also helps demonstrate the similarities between groups. “Mammals” have traits in common and are distinct from “birds”. It helps us sort through organisms, because “cardinals are birds while dogs are mammals” Classifications helps us get to know different characteristics. Dog Cavoudle Bird Cardinal All living things are organized into groups by scientists as they are identified. . Overall, the reason scientists classify living things is to understand the relationships between different organisms. TAXONOMISTS THE SIX MAIN GROUPS ARE: 1. Mammals 2. Birds 3. Amphibians 4. Fish 5. Reptiles 6. Invertebrates Mammals Backbone Warm blooded Live young Have hair or fur Breath air with lungs Feed their young with milk Live on land (mostly) Birds Back bone Warm blooded Lay eggs Have Feathers Beaks 2 legs, 2 wings Hollow bones Breaths air with lungs Lives on land Reptiles Back bone Cold blooded Lays eggs on land Have Scales (scutes) Breaths air with lungs Lives on land Amphibians Back bone Cold blooded Lay eggs in water Young breath with gills and live in water Adults breath through their skin ( they have lungs but they are too small and are not used much Skin must be kept moist adults live on land Fish Back bone Warm blooded Breath with gills Have Scales Have fins Invertebrates No backbone Exoskeleton No internal skeleton Soft body on the inside MAMMALS Birds REPTILES AMPHIBIANS FISH INVERTEBRATES CLASSIFICATION KNOW THE ANIMALS YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT