M – Movement – All living things move, even plants. R – Respiration – Getting energy from food. S – Sensitivity – Detecting changes in the surroundings. G – Growth – All living things grow. R – Reproduction – Making more living things of the same type. E – Excretion – Getting rid of waste. N – Nutrition – Taking in and using food.

All mammals have a back bone or spinal chord made up of a number of individual vertebrae. Mammals are warm-blooded creatures, they have a fairly high body temperature which is maintained by the body's metabolism. All mammals have four limbs. Some mammals walk on two limbs, others walk on all four and others can do both. Most mammals give birth but a few lay eggs.

97% of animals on earth are invertebrates. A few types of invertebrates are arthropods (includes insects, spiders and crabs) protozoa, annelids, echinoderms, and mollusks. These are a few of the characteristics that all invertebrates share: All invertebrates have no backbone or spinal chord. Instead they have cartialage. E.g. Earthworm or an octopus. They have no lungs and breathe through their gills or skin. E.g. sharks. All invertebrates are cold-blooded. E.g. sharks Invertebrates live in colonies. E.g. bees

Environment - All the conditions that surround a living organism. Habitat - Where a particular species of animal naturally lives. Community - A group of animals that live together in the same environment and interact with each other. Population - A certain group of animals living together in the same area. Ecosystem - A biological community of interacting organisms and their environment. They are all connected. Ecosystem is what you get when you put habitat, community and population together. They are all to do with the lifestyle of the animal and depend on the species of the animal.

Every organism has certain features or characteristics that allow it to live successfully in its habitat. These features are called adaptations, and we say that the organism is adapted to its habitat. Organisms living in different habitats need different adaptations. Every organism has certain features or characteristics that allow it to live successfully in its habitat. These features are called adaptations, and we say that the organism is adapted to its habitat. Organisms living in different habitats need different adaptations. Example – The polar bear, they are well adapted for survival in the Arctic. They have: a white appearance as camouflage from prey on the snow and ice thick layers of fat and fur for insulation against the cold a small surface area to volume ratio, to minimise heat loss a greasy coat that sheds water after swimming large furry feet to distribute their load and increase grip on the

Human beings compete with other living things for resources and space. As the world’s population continues to increase, and standards of living improve, there is serious danger of a permanent change to the global environment. Human activities have led to the pollution of the environment, and a reduction in the amount of land available for other animals and plants, which makes it difficult for some species to survive. Like all living things, humans exploit their surroundings for resources. Before the beginning of agriculture about 10,000 years ago, small groups of humans wandered across large areas, hunting and gathering just enough food to stay alive. Population numbers were kept low because of the difficulty of finding food. The development of agriculture led to a population explosion that has accelerated enormously during the past 500 years. Unlike other species, humans can adapt to and survive in almost all habitats and climates The world’s human population has passed 6 billion and continues to increase. The growth in the human population and the increase in the standard of living are putting strains on the global environment