Animals
Table of Contents






Mammals
Fish
Amphibians
Reptiles
Insects
Birds
Mammals





warm-blooded
vertebrates
covered with hair or fur
most mammals give birth to live young
mammals live on land, at sea, in the air, and under the
ground
 some examples of mammals are: bats, whales,
dolphins, humans, apes, mice, dogs, bears, and many
more!
Fish





live in water and have fins
have gills, which are used to get oxygen from water
are as many as 20,000 species of fish
cold-blooded vertebrates
Fish come in an amazing variety of sizes and colors.
Some examples of fish are: eels, sharks (the whale
shark is the largest fish), seahorses, clown fish, and
many more!
Amphibians
 cold-blooded vertebrates
 Amphibians live part of their life on land and part in
water. Hundreds of millions of years ago, amphibians
became the first vertebrates to live on land.
 most lay eggs, but some give birth to live young
 more than 5,500 species
 some examples of amphibians are: frogs, toads,
salamanders, and newts
Reptiles





Vertebrates
Cold-blooded
some lay eggs, others give birth to live young
bodies are covered by scales
spend much of their time on land
 there are 6,800 reptile species
 some examples of reptiles are: turtles, snakes,
alligators, lizards and crocodiles
Insects




Invertebrates; have an exoskeleton
bodies are made up of three parts (a head, thorax, and abdomen)
Insects have six jointed legs and two antennae
Over one million species of insects have been discovered by
scientists, who believe there are many more yet to be discovered.
 Insects hatch from eggs and usually go through four separate life
stages: egg, larva or nymph, pupa, and adult.
 most insects have one or two pairs of wings
 some examples of insects are: ants, beetles, butterflies, crickets,
bees, and many more
Wings
Thorax
Head
Abdomen
Antennae
Six legs
Birds
 Warm-blooded vertebrates
 all birds have feathers, wings and a beak
 Not all birds can fly, and not all flying animals are birds. An
example of a bird that can not fly is the ostrich.
 many birds migrate during the cold winter months
 most birds are insectivores; some are carnivores, others
omnivores, herbivores or fructivores
 there are more than 9,000 species of birds, including:
eagles, penguins, peacocks, doves, robins and many more
Vertebrates
Vertebrates are animals that have a
backbone. The backbone consists of
ring-like bones (vertebrae) that protect
the soft spinal cord. Vertebrates can be
warm-blooded, like humans, or coldblooded, like fish. Vertebrates include
amphibians, fish, reptiles, birds, and
mammals.
Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals that do not have
a backbone. Invertebrates are coldblooded; their body temperature depends
on the temperature of their environment.
Some major groups of invertebrates
include: jellyfish, corals, insects, and
crustaceans (crabs, lobsters). They often
have an exoskeleton, which is a hard
outer shell.
Cold-blooded
Cold-blooded animals have a body
temperature that changes with external
conditions. Examples include reptiles,
who need to sun themselves in the
morning to warm up, and then protect
themselves in the midday heat. They may
also cool themselves down by resting in
a shaded area or in cool water.
Warm-blooded
Warm-blooded animals generate heat
internally and maintain a relatively
constant body temperature (higher than
the average temperature of the
environment). Examples include
mammals (including people) and birds.
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is a hard outer coat or shell
that many invertebrates have to protect
their soft insides. The exoskeleton is
made up of a material that is very similar
to our fingernails.
Cicadidae
shedding its
exoskeleton
Example of life stages of an insect
Whales are mammals too!
Whales are large, magnificent, intelligent, aquatic mammals. They
breathe air through one or more blowholes into lungs (unlike fish
who breathe using gills).
Like all mammals:
 Whales breathe air into lungs
 Whales have hair (although they have a lot less than land
mammals, and have almost none as adults)
 Whales are warm-blooded (they maintain a high body
temperature)
 Whales have mammary glands with which they nourish their
young
 Whales have a four-chambered heart
The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever existed on
Earth. It is larger than any of the dinosaurs were.
Animal diets





Insectivores = insect-eaters
Carnivores = meat-eaters
Omnivores = plant and meat eaters
Herbivores = plant-eaters
Fructivores = fruit-eaters