Unit Two – God’s Living Creation
Chapter Five – Animal Classification
Introduction
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of
animals is whether or not they have backbones.
Invertebrates – animals without backbones
Vertebrates – animals with backbones
Invertebrates
There are more invertebrates than vertebrates.
95% of animals are invertebrates.
Scientists split invertebrates into smaller groups
based on their unique characteristics.
Invertebrates – Sponges and Stinging Animals
Sponges
The 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.
Jellyfish
Nematocysts – tiny stinging organelles used to
capture food
Sea anemones
Corals
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef
system in the world.
Invertebrates – Mollusks
Mollusks – animals that have soft bodies and
mantles (special parts that form a shell)
Snails, oysters, clams
Bivalve – animal with two shells
Clams, mussels, oysters
Gastropods – “stomach footed”
Univalve – animal with only one shell
Snail
Invertebrates – Mollusks
Slug – mollusk without a shell
Nudibranchs – 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
Invertebrates – Echinoderms
Radial symmetry – equal parts radiate from the
center
The 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 dollars
Filter feeders – eat whatever comes floating
through the water
Invertebrates – Echinoderms (continued)
Characteristics of Echinoderms
Have hard skeletons
Protect themselves in different ways
Spines on their bodies
Hide in cracks
Use camouflage
Break off its own arm and grow another
Invertebrates – Flatworms
Bilateral symmetry – can be divided down the
middle and be the same on each side
Flatworms are either:
Parasitic – live on or in other living organisms
(hosts); depend on their hosts for nourishment
Free-living – independent of other organisms
Planarians
Invertebrates – Roundworms
Smooth and round
Can be parasites or free-living
Roundworms help decompose dead organisms,
and therefore, help fertilize the soil.
Invertebrates – Segmented Worms
Annelid – segmented worm
Segments – similar pieces
Setae – hairlike structures that worms use to
move
Leeches
Suck blood only from the outside
Invertebrates – Segmented Worms (continued)
Sea worms
Earthworms
Burrow around and make holes for air to get into
the soil
The air helps plants in the soil to grow.
Break down complex plant matter into nutrients
that the plants around it can use.
Invertebrates – Arthropods
Arthropod – “jointed foot”
Jointed legs and segmented bodies
Exoskeleton – an outer hard covering that
protects the animal
Molt – a process of shedding the exoskeleton in
order to grow a new one and continue growing
Invertebrates – Arthropods – Crustaceans
Shrimp, lobsters, crabs
Characteristics of crustaceans
Have at least five pairs of jointed legs
Breathe through gills
Have some sort of claw
Invertebrates – Arthropods – Arachnids
Arachnids – have eight legs and two body
segments
Spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites
Ticks
Parasitic
Use animals and humans as hosts
Their bites can spread diseases such as Rocky Mountain
spotted fever and Lyme disease
Spiders
Most familiar arachnids
Spinnerets – silk-spinning organs in the back of spiders
Invertebrates – Arthropods – Centi & Millipedes
Have many body segments and many legs
Invertebrates – Arthropods – Insects
Have three body segments
Head, thorax, abdomen
Have three pairs of legs
Have two pairs of wings
Mouthparts
Beetles – chewing mouthparts
Mosquitoes – piercing and sucking mouthparts
Butterflies & Moths – siphoning mouthparts
Invertebrates – Arthropods – Insects (continued)
Metamorphosis – the process where an insect
becomes an adult
Two types of metamorphosis
Incomplete metamorphosis – three stages
Eggs, nymph, adult
Complete metamorphosis – four stages
Egg, larva, pupa, adult
Invertebrates – Arthropods – Insects (continued)
Bible Integration
Proverbs 30:25-28
Even God’s animals behave in such a way that
glorifies God. We choose our behavior. Shouldn’t it
be one that honors God?!
Vertebrates
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
Vertebrates – Fish
All breathe through gills
Cold-blooded – find warmth or coolness from
their environments
Grouped based on their skeletons – cartilage or
bone
Vertebrates – Fish – Cartilage fish
Sharks, rays, and skates
Cartilage – bonelike substance, but softer and
more bendable than bone
Vertebrates – Fish – Bony fish
Have skeletons that are stronger and harder
than cartilage fish
Bluegill, bass, trout, seahorse, eel
Vertebrates – Amphibians
Cold-blooded
“Double life” – part in the water and part on
land
Stages of frog metamorphosis
Egg – lay eggs in water
Larva – some eggs hatch into tadpoles
At the end of the larval stage, they lose their gills, grow
legs, and move onto land
Adult
Vertebrates – Amphibians (continued)
Frogs
Smooth skin
Always live near water
Large, powerful hind legs for jumping
Lay their eggs in clusters
Toads
Short legs – hop short distances
Nubby skin that makes them look like they have
warts
Lay their eggs in long chains
Vertebrates – Reptiles
Cold-blooded
Have scaly skin that allows them to live in areas
away from water
Three major groups
Turtles, lizards and snakes, and crocodilians
Vertebrates – Reptiles – Turtles
Clearly identified by its unique skeletal structure
Omnivores – eating both plants and animals
Herbivores – eating only plants
Tortoises – high, domed shells
Vertebrates – Reptiles – Lizards and Snakes
Lizards
Look like salamanders (amphibians), but belong to
reptile group
Snakes
Carnivores – eat only animals
Swallow their meals whole
Upper and lower jaws that are not tightly attached
Can swallow prey that is larger than the diameter of
their own bodies
Vertebrates – Reptiles – Crocodilians
Alligators, caimans, crocodiles
Scaly skin, large bodies, short legs
Vertebrates – Birds
Birds are birds b/c they have feathers
Feathers assist in flight, protect them from the
water they swim in and provide needed warmth
Birds that fly have very lightweight skeletons.
Their bones are very hard, but they contain
hollow, air-filled cavities
God has given each bird the perfect beak for the
food it eats
Warm-blooded – having body temps that stay
the same, regardless of their environment
Vertebrates – Mammals
All have hair or fur
Warm-blooded
Most bear live young
All feed their young with milk from the mother’s
body
All have a four-chambered heart
Have three ear bones
All breathe using lungs
Vertebrates – Mammals – Monotremes
Monotremes – lay eggs
Vertebrates – Mammals – Marsupials
Have pouches where their babies grow big
enough to function
Vertebrates – Mammals – Rodents, Rabbits, Moles
Rodents
Mice, rats, squirrels, beavers, porcupines
Have large front teeth that never stop growing
Rabbits
Teeth form differently than the rodent
Moles
Insectivores – eat insects as their primary food
Vertebrates – Mammals – Bats
Only mammals that can fly
Nocturnal – come out at night
Echolocation – 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.
Vertebrates – Mammals – Hoofed mammals
Two groups
Those with odd number of toes on each hoof
Horses, zebras, burros, mules
Those with even number of toes on each hoof
“Cloven hoof”
Deer, giraffes, camels, cattle, sheep, antelope,
hippopotamus
Vertebrates – Mammals – Carnivores
Meat-eaters
Cats
Have retractable claws – the claws disappear into its
paw when it does not need them for hunting or
climbing
Prides – group of lions
Lions, cougars, tigers, jaguars
Dogs
Vertebrates – Mammals – Carnivores (continued)
Pinnipeds
Seals, walruses, sea lions
Primary food is fish, though they will eat mollusks,
crustaceans, and even penguins
Can live in the ocean and on land
Vertebrates – Mammals – Marine mammals
Whales
Blubber – fatty substance, rich in oil, that insulates
whales against the cold
Baleen whales
Instead of teeth, they have giant plates, called baleen
plates, that help them gather plankton and tiny
crustaceans (krill)
Pods – groups of whales
Toothed whales
Dolphins, porpoises, orcas, sperm whales
Use echolocation (like bats)
Vertebrates – Mammals – Primates
Have good eyesight
Have “hands” that can grasp
Two groups
Lemurs
Monkeys
New World Monkeys – spend much of their time in trees
Old World Monkeys – spend much of their time on the
ground
Vertebrates – Humans
Genesis 1:24-27, 2:7
One 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.