Classification UnitYear 72015

• The Animal kingdom is split into 9 phyla• It is not scientific to separate purely on the

presence of absence of a backbone

ANIMALS

Porifera Cnidarians Echinoderms Nematodes Platyhelminthes Mollusca Arthropods Chordates

• The Phylum Chordata can be further classified into five major classes– FISH– AMPHIBIANS– REPTILES– MAMMALS– BIRDS

• The word AMPHIBIAN is a Greek word which means “Double life”

• This refers to the fact that amphibians can live in both the water and on land.

• In their early life they live completely underwater.

• Later in their life cycle amphibians can move between the land and the water

• The Amphibians are an important group of animals as they were the first vertebrates to conquer land

• They are cold-blooded – meaning their body temperature is determined by the environment they are in (ectothermic)

• They return to the water to reproduce, and must always live in a damp environment to limit water loss through their thin skin

• They are bare skinned – no scales or hair, some possess poison glands that discourage predators.

• Some amphibians can change their skin colour to confuse predators or in response to temperature or light level changes.

• Most amphibians are nocturnal

The largest frog is the Goliath Frog, which grows up to 40cm long. It can eat small mammals!

The smallest frog is shown here – so small it fits on a 10c coin!

What are the differences between a frog and a toad?

Frogs: Slimy & Smooth Skin, longer legs

Toads: Dry & Warty Skin, shorter stubby legs

Salamanders usually have 4 limbs & a long tail. They can swim like a fish and eat insects snails and worms.

Some species of salamander can loose an eye, leg or their tail and regrown them within a few months.

Newts and Salamanders like to live in damp habitats usually in the northern hemisphere.

They are brightly coloured to warn predators they are poisonous

• Reptile comes from a Latin word meaning “to creep”. Reptiles form the class REPTILIA

• Reptiles evolved from the amphibians around 330 million years ago

• Reptiles were the first animals to live entirely on the land

• Reptiles are ectothermic, so usually live in warmer climates

• Australia is home to some of the worlds most dangerous reptiles like the Salt Water Crocodile and the Tiger Snake.

• Reptiles lay eggs with leathery, waterproof shells and emerge from the egg fully formed, unlike amphibians which have separate life cycles.

• Reptiles have a dry scaly skin.

• The ‘Golden Age’ of the reptiles was 230 – 265 million years ago

• The Age of the Dinosaur

Crocodiles are social animals, with claims they cooperate when hunting prey.

The Salt Water Crocodile can grow up to 7m long and is the largest reptile in the world

The ancestors of crocodiles lived alongside the dinosaurs

Alligators have broader snouts than crocodiles & are generally smaller in size

Alligators are found only in North America and ChinaCaimans are found in South America only

There are about 3000 species of snakes living on all continents except Antarctica.

The largest snake is the Reticulated Python of Asia, it can grow to 10m long

They are expert climbers, hunters, swimmers and can move over all terrains.

Snakes can be defined as constricting or venomous depending on how they kill their prey

There are approximately 4500 different species of lizards

The largest lizard is the Komodo Dragon which can grow to 3m long

There are 2 venomous lizards, both live in America

Chameleons are a group of lizards that can change the colour of their skin but they have poor hearing and sense of smell.

Tuatara’s are the sole surviving species of a group of animals that became extinct about 60 million years ago

They live on offshore islands in New Zealand

They have a very slow growth rate and may live as long as 120 years

They are nocturnal animals that eat invertebrates, bird’s eggs and chicks

Turtles and Tortoises are from the family Chelonia

They all have four limbs, a shell and a horny toothless beak

The Galapagos Giant Tortoise grows up to 1.2m in length and can live for 200 years

What is the difference between a turtle and a tortoise?

Turtles live most or all of their life in water. Tortoises live on land

• Birds form the class AVES, Avis is a Latin word meaning Bird

• All birds have feathers, even the ones that cant fly

• Birds are related to reptiles as they have scales, but only on their legs and feet

• They are endothermic, with a body temperature of about 40 – 45oC

• They have four limbs, the back limbs are legs and allow the bird to walk. The front two limbs have evolved into wings

• All birds lay hard-shelled eggs• There are about 9000 different species of

birds• The Ostrich is the tallest (2.5m) heaviest

(150kg) and fastest (55kph) bird

Birds live on all continents of the world and migrate every year for food, water or breeding placesFlightless birds have

adaptations to allow them to run or swim to get around

A famous flightless bird made extinct in the 1680’s was the dodo

Feathers are made up of the same substance as human hair and fingernails

Rainforests contain a greater variety of birds than any other habitat

The Biggest Bird is the Ostrich - Lives in Africa

The Smallest Bird in the Bee Hummingbird - lives in Africa

• There are around 25 000 species of fish• They are divided into three classes• BONY FISH (OSTEICHTHYES)

– OSTEON = bone• JAWLESS FISH (AGNATHA)

– A = without, GNATHOS = jaw• CARTLIAGINOUS FISH

(CHONDRICHTHYES)– CHONDROS = cartilage

• Bony Fish have skeletons made of bone• Most Fish species fall into this class• Fish are ectothermic except for Tuna• Fish breathe through gills which act as

‘inside out’ lungs• The fastest swimmer is thought

to be the sailfish which can swim at speeds of 100kph

Fish have different shapes which often determines how they move

The are fish that can glow in the dark

Ichthyology is the study of fish

• Jawless fish have skeletons made of cartilage

• They do not have paired fins, which means no fins on the side of their body

• Some examples are the Sea Lamprey and the Hagfish

Lampreys live in marine and fresh water

Lampreys have a sucker-like mouth which attaches to prey

Hagfish are only marineThey are worm like with no eyes, no scales and rows of horny teeth

• Cartilaginous fish have a skeleton made of cartilage

• They have paired fins but no scales. Their skin is covered with tiny tooth-like structures which gives the skin a sandpaper feel

• There is about 900 different species of cartilaginous fish

• Some examples are Sharks, Rays and Skates

There are more than 350 species of shark

Most are marine, but the Bull shark can survive in fresh water

Skates: are bottom dwelling and found throughout the world

Rays: include the stingray, manta ray, eagle ray and electric ray

Rays and Skates lay eggs called mermaid purses

• Mammals form the class Mammalia• They are split into three groups

– PLACENTAL mammals– MARSUPIALS– MONOTREMES

• These groups are determined by how the mammals give birth to their young

• There are about 4500 species of mammals

• All Mammals share the following three characteristics;

• They have hair. It may not be obvious in all species, and some may only have hair as newborns.

• They feed their young milk produced from mammary glands.

• They are endothermic and maintain their body at a constant temperature

Largest mammal – blue whale

Placental mammals give birth to well developed young

Mammals exist in all areas of the world

Smallest mammal – kitti’s hog-nosed bat

The largest predator in the world – Sperm Whale

Marsupials give birth to tiny young which then develop in the mothers pouch where they attach to a milk producing teat

KangarooWombatWallabyPossumsKoalaTasmanian devil

Monotremes lay eggsWhen the eggs hatch the young continue to develop in the mothers pouch

There are only three species of monotreme

2 in AustraliaShort-beaked Echidna & Platypus1 in AmericaLong-beaked Echidna