Kingdom Animalia
Mr. Nichols
PHHS
Organism of the Day!

Horror/Hairy Frog:

The Horror Frog was discovered in
2008 and to the “horror” of scientists
who studied it has an amazing
technique. It has the ability to break its
own bones in order to produce
expendable claws.
Trichobatrachus robustus
Oh…the HORROR!!!
The end result may look like a cat's claw, but the
breaking and cutting mechanism is very different and
unique among vertebrates. Also unique is the fact that
the claw is just bone and does not have an outer coating
of keratin like other claws do.
 It does not appear to have a muscle to pull it back
inside so the team think it may passively slide back into
the toe pad when its muscle relaxes.
 Males of the species, which grows to about 11
centimetres, also produce long hair-like strands of skin
and arteries when they are hurt.

What a hairy situation…

This species is roasted and eaten in
Cameroon. They are hunted with long
spears or machetes, apparently to avoid
being hurt by their claws. The Bakossi
people traditionally believed that the frogs
fall from the sky and, when eaten, help
childless human couples become fertile
Frogger!
Cartoons of the Day!
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~Invertebrate
Phylum Arthropoda ~

Body divided into sections/segments

Exoskeleton

Jointed legs

Well developed nervous system

Largest group of animals on earth
~Invertebrate
Phylum Arthropoda ~

3 subphyla:

Classified into classes according to the
number of legs, eyes and antennae they
have.
~Invertebrate
Phylum Arthropoda ~
Subphylum Chilicerata
is divided into 3 classes
Arachnida – spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites
Merostomata – horseshoe crabs
Pycnogonida – sea spiders
~Invertebrate Phylum
Arthropoda ~ Subphylum Chilicerata
 Class
– Arachnida

no antennae

4 pairs of legs

2 body regions - cephalothorax & abdomen

spiders, scorpions, mites & ticks
~Invertebrate Phylum
Arthropoda ~ Subphylum Chilicerata
 Class

Merostomata
Horseshoe crabs
– Ancient group of species
– Changed little over 350 million years
– Aquatic, mostly found on Atlantic & gulf
coasts of United States.
~Invertebrate Phylum
Arthropoda ~ Subphylum Chilicerata
 Class
Pycnogonida
– Sea spider
~Invertebrate Phylum
Arthropoda ~ Subphylum - Crustacea
5 Classes
 Aquatic ones have gills

2 antennae

2 body regions or segmented

Shrimp, lobsters, crabs, barnacles, isopods

Many species taste delicious in butter
 Subphylum
Uniramia: 3 classes

Class Insecta (insects)

Class Chilopoda (Centipedes)

Class Diplopoda (Millipedes)
~Invertebrate Phylum
Arthropoda ~ Subphylum Uniramia
 Class
Insecta

3 pairs of legs

2 body regions - head, thorax & abdomen

grasshoppers, ants, butterflies, bees
~Invertebrate
Phylum Arthropoda ~ Subphylum Uniramia
 Class
Diplopoda

Millipedes

segmented animals

Have 2 pairs of legs per segment

Primarily herbivores & decomposers
~Invertebrate Phylum
Arthropoda ~ Subphylum Uniramia
 Class
Chiopoda

Centipedes Usually terrestrial carnivores

Have 1 pair of antennae

Are often poisonous, using modified front
claws to immobilize prey
~ Phylum Chordata ~ subphylum Vertebrata
5 classes
 Fish
 Mammals
 Reptiles
 Amphibians
 Birds
~ Characteristics ~

Multicellular

Eukaryotic with no cell walls

Heterotrophs (consumers)
~ Characteristics ~

Have a nervous system to respond to their
environment

Locomotion relates to ability to obtain food

Most animals develop from a zygote.

A single layer of cells surrounding a fluidfilled space forming a hollow ball of cells
called a gastrula.
~ Developmental Characteristics ~

The gastrula is made up of three parts:
– Ectoderm, a layer of cells on the outer surface
of the gastrula, grows and divides developing
into skin and nervous tissue.
– Endoderm, a layer of cells lining the inner
surface of the gastrula, develops into the
lining of the animal’s digestive tract.
– Mesoderm, made up of two layers of cells
lying between the ectoderm and endoderm,
forms muscles, reproductive organs and
circulatory vessels.
~ Developmental Characteristics ~

Animals that develop a mouth from the
indented space in the gastrula are
protostomes.

Animals that develop an anus from the
opening in the gastrula are
deuterostomes.
~ Body Plans ~

Animals that are
irregular in shape are
asymmetrical.

Animals that are
regular in shape are
symmetrical.
~ Body Plans ~

An animal has radial symmetry if it
can be divided along any plane,
through a central axis, into equal
halves.

An animal has bilateral symmetry if
it can be divided down its length
into similar right and left halves
forming mirror images of each other.
Which figure has bilateral symmetry?
Which has radial symmetry?
Organism of the Day!!!

Velociraptor: Velociraptor mongoliensis

Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Reptilia
Node: Dinosauria
Suborder: Theropoda
Raptor Facts!


Existed approximately 75
to 71 million years ago
during the later part of
the Cretaceous Period.
. It was a bipedal,
feathered carnivore with
a long, stiffened tail and
an enlarged sickleshaped claw on each
hind foot, which is
thought to have been
used to kill its prey.

Adults measuring up to 6.8 ft
long, 1.6 ft high at the hip,
and weighing up to 33 lb The
skull, which grew up to 9.8 in
long, was uniquely up-curved,
concave on the upper surface
and convex on the lower. The
jaws were lined with 26–28
widely spaced teeth on each
side, each more strongly
serrated on the back edge
than the front—possibly an
adaptation that improved its
ability to catch and hold fastmoving prey.
Cold-Blooded Killer

Velociraptor was
probably warm-blooded
to some degree, as it
required a significant
amount of energy to
hunt. Modern animals
that possess feathery or
furry coats, like
Velociraptor did, tend to
be warm-blooded, since
these coverings
function as insulation.

However, bone growth
rates in Velociraptors
and some early birds
suggest a more
moderate metabolism,
compared with most
modern warm-blooded
mammals and birds.
Aww…….ARHH!!!!
Organism of the Day (Thursday)
Giant Squid: Architeuthis dux
 Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Teuthida (Squid)

Giant Facts!!!!

Recent estimates put the maximum size at
43 ft for females and 33 ft for males from
caudal fin to the tip of the two long
tentacles. The mantle is about 6.6 ft long
(more for females, less for males), and the
length of the squid excluding its tentacles
is about 16 ft. There have been claims of
specimens measuring 66 ft or more, but no
giant squid of such size has been
scientifically documented.
More Facts!

Like all squid, a giant squid has a mantle
(torso), eight arms, and two longer
tentacles (the longest known tentacles of
any cephalopod). The arms and tentacles
account for much of the squid's great
length, making giant squid much lighter
than their chief predators, sperm whales.
Sweet Facts!
Giant squid have small fins at the rear of the mantle used
for locomotion. Like other cephalopods, giant squid are
propelled by jet – by pulling water into the mantle cavity,
and pushing it through the siphon, in gentle, rhythmic
pulses.
 Giant squid have a sophisticated nervous system and
complex brain, attracting great interest from scientists.
They also have the largest eyes of any living creature–1 ft
in diameter. Large eyes can better detect light (including
bioluminescent light), which is scarce in deep water. It is
thought the giant squid cannot see color, but they can
probably discern small differences in tone, which is
important in the low-light conditions of the deep ocean.

Facebook Pics
OUCH!!!
Cartoons of the Day!
Organism of the Day (Friday)

Komodo Dragon: Varanus komodoensis

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Genus: Varanus (also
includes Monitor Lizards)
Komodo Dragon Fun Facts!!!

It is the largest living species of lizard,
growing to a maximum length of 9.8 ft in
rare cases and weighing up to around 150
lb. Their unusual size has been attributed
to island gigantism, since there are no
other carnivorous animals to fill the niche
on the islands where they live.
FEAST!!!

As a result of their size, these lizards
dominate the ecosystems in which they
live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush
prey including invertebrates, birds, and
mammals. Their group behavior in hunting
is exceptional in the reptile world. The diet
of big Komodo dragons mainly consists of
deer, though they also eat considerable
amounts of carrion.
AWWW YEAH!!!

Mating begins between May and August, and the
eggs are laid in September. About twenty eggs
are deposited in abandoned nests or in a selfdug nesting hole. The eggs are incubated for
seven to eight months, hatching in April, when
insects are most plentiful. Young Komodo
dragons are vulnerable and therefore dwell in
trees, safe from predators and cannibalistic
adults. They take about eight to nine years to
mature, and are estimated to live for up to 30
years.
RECORDS!!!
The largest verified wild specimen was 10 ft 3 in
long and weighed 370 lb, including undigested
food….WOW.
 Senses: Hearing=terrible, Sight: Meh, can see
color has a hard time discriminating things that
remain still. Taste: Exceptional, use of tongue
to sample the air.
 Moderately venomous, bacterial saliva.
 Are thought to be monogamous lizards (rare)

Dragons!!!!
EWW!!
Cartoons of the Day!
Cartoons of the Day!
Cartoons of the Day!
Cartoons of the Day!
Cartoons of the Day!
Organism of the Day!!!
Kingdom: Plantae
unranked: Angiosperms
unranked: Eudicots
unranked: Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Droseraceae
Genus: Dionaea
Species: D. muscipula
FUN FACTS!!!!

Dionaea muscipula, is a
carnivorous plant that
catches and digests
animal prey—mostly
insects and arachnids. Its
trapping structure is
formed by the terminal
portion of each of the
plant's leaves and is
triggered by tiny hairs on
their inner surfaces.

When an insect or spider
crawling along the leaves
contacts a hair, the trap
closes if a different hair is
contacted within twenty
seconds of the first strike.
The requirement of
redundant triggering in this
mechanism serves as a
safeguard against a waste
of energy in trapping
objects with no nutritional
value.
Don’t get snappy!!!

There are 29 different
species of VFT.

With the Venus Flytrap,
prey is limited to beetles,
spiders and arthropods.
In fact, the Dionaea diet
is 33% ants, 30%
spiders, 10% beetles, and
10% grasshoppers, with
fewer than 5% flying
insects

The Venus Flytrap is not a
tropical plant and can
tolerate mild winters. In
fact, Venus Flytraps that do
not go through a period of
winter dormancy will
weaken and die after a
period of time

The Venus Flytrap is found
in nitrogen and phosphoruspoor environments, such as
bogs and wet savannahs.
FEAST!!!

Small in stature and
slow growing, the
Venus flytrap
tolerates fire well, and
depends on periodic
burning to suppress
its competition. Fire
suppression threatens
its future in the wild.
It survives in wet
sandy and peaty soils.

Although it has been
successfully transplanted
and grown in many locales
around the world, it is
found natively only in
North and South Carolina
in the United States.
Currently, there are
estimated to be more than
3–6 million plants in
cultivation compared to
only 35,800 plants
remaining in nature.
Sweet Pics Yo!
Event of the Day!
Desert Swarms of the World!
 A plague of locusts is a devastating natural disaster.
These infestations have been feared and revered
throughout history. Unfortunately, they still wreak
havoc today.
 Locusts are related to grasshoppers and the two
insects look similar. However, locust behavior can be
something else entirely. Locusts are sometimes
solitary insects with lifestyles much like grasshoppers.
When environmental conditions produce many green
plants and promote breeding, locusts can congregate
into thick, mobile, ravenous swarms.

The locusts are coming!
Hopping Mad!
A desert locust swarm
can be 460 square miles
in size and pack
between 40 and 80
million locusts into less
than half a square mile.
Each locust can eat its
weight in plants each
day, so a swarm of such
size would eat 423
million pounds of plants
every day.
Cartoons of the Day!
Event of the Day!

Largest and the Oldest
Methuselah
There are such living things on Earth, the oldest of which is
aptly named Methuselah, a 14,800-year-old Great Basin
Bristle-cone pine, located in Methuselah alley, Nevada.
There was an older tree there named Prometheus but it
had to be cut down in 1964, due to severe deterioration.
This species of tree is thought to be the longest lived of all,
but there are many other ancient varieties.
Bark but no Bite….
The bigger they are the harder
they fall….
Biggest: General Sherman
 At 275 ft, a diameter of 25 ft, and an
estimated age of 2,300 – 2,700 years, it is
however among the tallest, widest and
longest-lived of all trees on the planet.
 Weighs 1,910 tons! That’s enough wood
to build 25 two story houses!

WOW!
Event of the Day Related
Cartoon!
~Invertebrates~

8 main phyla

No backbones

95% of all animals are in this group
~Invertebrate
Phylum Porifera~

Sponges

simplest form of animal life

live in water

Do not move around

no symmetry

Pores (holes) all over body
~Invertebrate
Phylum Porifera~

Examples: Tube
Sponge, Glass
Sponge, Sea Sponge
~Invertebrate
Phylum Cnidaria~

Live in water

Most have tentacles

catch food with stinging cells

gut for digesting
~Invertebrate
Phylum Cnidaria~
 2 different
shapes
 Medusa - like a
jellyfish
 Polyp - like a
hydra
~Invertebrate
Phylum Cnidaria~

Examples Jellyfish, Hydra,
sea anemones, and
corals
~Invertebrate
Phylum Platyhelminthes (Platys for short)
 Flatworms
 Flat, ribbon-like body
 Live in water or are parasites
 bilateral symmetry
~Invertebrate
Phylum Platyhelminthes ~
 Examples: Planaria
 eyespots detect light
 food and waste go
in and out the same
opening
~Invertebrate
Phylum Platyhelminthes ~
 Examples:
Tapeworm
 Parasite that
lives in intestines
of host
absorbing food
~Invertebrate
Phylum Platyhelminthes ~
 Examples: Fluke
 parasite
 Lives inside
of host
~Invertebrate
Phylum Nematoda ~

Roundworms
– Round, tubular body
– small or microscopic
– bilateral symmetry
– have both a mouth and anus
– Live in water or are parasites
~Invertebrate
Phylum Nematoda ~

Examples:
– Hookworm
– Trichinella
Cartoons of the Day!
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Cartoons of the Day!
Organism of the Day!

Hagfish: Myxine glutinosa

The Atlantic hagfish, scientifically known as Myxine
glutinosa, is an unusual sea creature. Its body is
covered with special glands that can emit a sticky
slime. In fact, a single hagfish can produce enough
slime at one time to fill a milk jug. This has earned it
the name "slime eel", although it is really not an eel
at all. A hagfish will actually "sneeze" when its own
nostrils fill with slime.
The sticky details….

Hagfish slime is different that any other natural slime
secretion in that it is reinforced with tiny fibers. These
fibers make the slime strong and difficult to remove. It is
believed that the hagfish uses this slime to protect itself
from predators. It can also be used to easily produce a
protective cocoon for the hagfish. It is believed that this
slime can actually suffocate predators by clogging their
gills if they come in contact with it. The hagfish has a trick
for escaping this slime cocoon. Believe it or not, this
animal can tie itself in a knot and then pass the knot
down the length of its body to wipe the slime away.
COME AT ME BRO….FISH!!!

Over 60 different species are known to science.
There is actually some debate among researchers
as to whether the hagfish is really a fish. It is more
closely related to some primitive creatures such as
the lampreys. Hagfish have a long, eel-like body
that averages 18 inches in length, although it is
believed that some of them can grow as long as 32
inches.
Long story made short…..

Since local populations of hagfish tend to be quite
large, as many as 15,000, it is believed that they have
a low mortality rate.

The Atlantic hagfish is a deep-water fish. They can be
found at depths of up to 5,600 feet. They are known
on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean as far north
as Norway. Hagfish prefer soft sea bottoms where
they can quickly bury themselves when threatened.
AWWW!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmaal
7Hf0WA
~Invertebrate
Phylum Mollusca ~

Soft bodies

Hard Shells

Live on land or in water

Have a circulatory system and a complex
nervous system.

Important food source for humans
~Invertebrate
Phylum Mollusca ~
Class Gastropoda
– snails and slugs
– may have 1 shell
– stomach-footed move on stomach
~Invertebrate
Phylum Mollusca ~
Class Bivalves
– 2 shells hinged
together
– clams, oysters,
scallops and
mussels
~Invertebrate
Phylum Mollusca ~
Class Cephalopods
–squids and octopi
–internal mantel
~Invertebrate
Phylum Annelida ~
–Segemented worms
– Body divided into
segments(sections)
– Live in water or
underground
– Have a nervous and circulatory system
~Invertebrate
Phylum Annelida ~

Class Earthworms

Eat soil and
breakdown
organic matter,
wastes provide
nutrients to soil
~Invertebrate
Phylum Annelida ~
Class bristleworms
~Invertebrate
Phylum Annelida ~
 Class

leeches
Parasites that feed on blood of other animals
~Invertebrate
Phylum Echinodermata ~

Hard, spiny skin

Live in salt water

Radial symmetry

Name means ‘spiney skinned’

Endoskeleton
~Invertebrate
Phylum Echinodermata ~

Examples: seastar, sea urchin, sand dollar
and sea cucumber
Murder Mystery:
An Update
Mr. Nichols
PHHS
Cartoons of the Day!
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What we know so far!

On January 1st, 2013 Chief Executive Kevin
Baker from Chase Banks went missing from
his office building. Cameras reported him
entering the building at 8:22am but was not
seen leaving the building.

He has been missing since then without a
trace.

All of his personal items including his car
remain in the office or parking lot.
Executive’s Office
Kevin Baker’s last known photo
(Financial Summit, Washington
D.C. December 17th, 2012
Kevin Baker found dead in a plane crash on Feb
1st. 2013
Latest information on the crash
Main oil line to the engine was cut pre-flight.
 Kevin Baker died of a single gun shot wound
at close range to the left chest, prior to take
off.
 1 Million dollars cash was in the plane’s
cargo hold. The money was taken from Mr.
Baker’s account 12 hrs prior to the crash.

CLUE FOUND!

A letter written by Kevin Baker was
recovered inside the bag with the million
dollars in it. It was addressed to Mr.
Nichols……Here’s what it says….
Kevin Baker’s Letter

Nichols,
Let me say first, Even when you find this
letter i’ll be gone. Obviously has motive
Nothing i can do can save me. All you can
do is solve this, Remember the past, this
will be Dangerous. i need you to find A
man, You’ll Enjoy seeing him again.
Remember me Still…

Kevin Baker’s Letter

Nichols,
Let me say first, Even when you find this
letter i’ll be gone. Obviously has motive
Nothing i can do can save me. All you can
do is solve this, Remember the past, this
will be Dangerous. i need you to find A
man, You’ll Enjoy seeing him again, he did
this. Remember me Still…
 LEONARD AYERS

BREAKING NEWS….

The grave of Leonard Ayers was dug up
and the coffin was taken early this
morning.

Leonard dies soon after we solved the
case last semester, he died before Mr.
Baker went missing. Here’s a photo from
the scene.
One thing was left behind by
the robbers…..