Source: onebigphoto.com/colorful-chameleon/

ClassificationSarah Jones

Observation and Inference

• Observations are things or events that you notice i.e. see, smell, hear, touch or taste.

• An observation can allow you to make an inference.

• You can infer something when you use your observations and your previous knowledge to explain something.

Observe the following optical illusions

Classification in Science

• Classifying things into groups make them easier to remember, describe and identify again in the future.

• The science of classifying is called Taxonomy.

• There are almost 2 million classified organisms but Scientists believe there could be as many as 10 million organisms on Earth.

Living, Non-Living and Dead

• Draw a table with 3 columns and classify the following as either living, non-living or dead.

The 5 Kingdoms

Biologist today have classified and divided all living things into five groups they call Kingdoms. These kingdoms are based on how living things are the same, and how they are different.

• Monera • Protists • Fungi • Plants• Animals

More information

Divisions

• Kingdom• Phylum• Class• Order• Family • Genus• Species

Dichotomous Keys

• Dichotomous = ‘cutting in two’

Characteristics for classifying• Size – microscopic/macroscopic• Skeleton – internal/external• Body Temperature – endotherm/ecthotherm• Legs – jointed/not jointed• Reproduction – internal/external• Skin – moist/smooth/scaly• Body covering – fur/shell

Invertebrates (95%)• External or no skeleton

Vertebrates (5%)

• Internal skeleton or backbone

Endoskeleton and Exoskeleton

• 75% of all animals have an exoskeleton – skeleton on the outside of the body.

• Enodskeleton is a skeleton on the inside of the body.

• No skeleton

7 Subgroups of Vertebrates

• Mammals• Aves (Birds)• Reptiles• Amphibians

• Fish (with a cartilaginous skeleton)

• Fish (with a bony skeleton)

• Jawless fish

Endothermic and Ectothermic

Endothermic animals can maintain a constant body temperature and are called warm blooded.

The body temperature of ectothermic animals changes depending on their surrounding environment.

Types of mammals• Placental Mammals– Very well developed when they are born– Grow inside the body– Attached by a cord to the placenta– Feed on milk

• Marsupials– give birth when their young are at a very early stage

of development and the mother provides milk– Almost all marsupials have a pouch– Include – kangaroos, koalas, possums and wombats

• Monotremes– Only found in Australia and some nearby islands– Only two are the platypus and the echidna– They lay leathery-shelled eggs and after hatching

the feed on milk.

Classifying Organisms Practical

What should be included in a scientific diagram drawn when using a microscope?

• Ruled border• About half a page in size• Drawn in pencil• Title• Magnification• Labels (straight lines – no arrows)

Classifying plants

• Bryophytes – mosses and liverworts• Gymnosperms – conifers• Angiosperms – flowering plants• Pteridophytes – ferns