Classification Unit Year 7 2015 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM Classification Unit Year 7 2015

Animal Kingdom 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

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

Amphibians 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

Amphibians 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

Amphibians 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

frogs 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!

toads What are the differences between a frog and a toad? Frogs: Slimy & Smooth Skin, longer legs Toads: Dry & Warty Skin, shorter stubby legs

salamanders 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 Newts and Salamanders like to live in damp habitats usually in the northern hemisphere. They are brightly coloured to warn predators they are poisonous

Reptiles 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

Reptiles 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.

Reptiles 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 ancestors of crocodiles lived alongside the dinosaurs The Salt Water Crocodile can grow up to 7m long and is the largest reptile in the world

Alligators are found only in North America and China Caimans are found in South America only alligators & caimans Alligators have broader snouts than crocodiles & are generally smaller in size

There are about 3000 species of snakes living on all continents except Antarctica. Snakes can be defined as constricting or venomous depending on how they kill their prey They are expert climbers, hunters, swimmers and can move over all terrains. The largest snake is the Reticulated Python of Asia, it can grow to 10m long

lizards 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.

tuataras 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 & tortoises 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 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

Birds 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 Birds live on all continents of the world and migrate every year for food, water or breeding places Flightless 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

birds The Biggest Bird is the Ostrich - Lives in Africa The Smallest Bird in the Bee Hummingbird - lives in Africa

Fish 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 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

bony fish Ichthyology is the study of fish Fish have different shapes which often determines how they move The are fish that can glow in the dark bony fish Ichthyology is the study of fish

Jawless 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

jawless fish Lampreys live in marine and fresh water Lampreys have a sucker-like mouth which attaches to prey Hagfish are only marine They are worm like with no eyes, no scales and rows of horny teeth

Cartilaginous Fish 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

cartilaginous fish There are more than 350 species of shark Most are marine, but the Bull shark can survive in fresh water

cartilaginous fish Rays: include the stingray, manta ray, eagle ray and electric ray Skates: are bottom dwelling and found throughout the world Rays and Skates lay eggs called mermaid purses

Mammals 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

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

placental mammals Mammals exist in all areas of the world Placental mammals give birth to well developed young Largest mammal – blue whale Smallest mammal – kitti’s hog-nosed bat The largest predator in the world – Sperm Whale

marsupials Marsupials give birth to tiny young which then develop in the mothers pouch where they attach to a milk producing teat Kangaroo Wombat Wallaby Possums Koala Tasmanian devil

monotremes Monotremes lay eggs When the eggs hatch the young continue to develop in the mothers pouch There are only three species of monotreme 2 in Australia Short-beaked Echidna & Platypus 1 in America Long-beaked Echidna