Classification of Animals

Mrs. Savita's Science Class

Standard Four (4)

Classification of Animals

What is an animal?

An animal is any member of the kingdom Animalia, comprising multicellular organisms that have a well-defined shape and usually limited growth, can move voluntarily, actively acquire food and digest it internally, and have sensory and nervous systems that allow them to respond rapidly to stimuli.

 

There are different species of animals which include:

• REPTILES

• BIRDS

• MAMMALS

• AQUATIC

   

  What is a Reptile?

  Reptile is any of various cold-blooded, usually egg-laying vertebrates of the class Reptilia, such as a snake, lizard, crocodile or turtle, having an external covering of scales or horny plates and breathing by means of lungs. 

   Types of reptiles 

  • Snakes - have a long, legless, flexible body that is covered with dry scales. Their eyes are covered by clear scales rather than moveable eyelids. Therefore their  eyes are always open. Moreover, there are approximately twenty-four hundred species of snakes existing on earth.

  

   

  • Lizards - large and widespread group of squamate reptiles with nearly five thousand species. Most of these lizards can detach their tails in order to escape from predators.

  

   

  • Crocodiles - they are semi-aquatic reptiles which can be found all over the world, typically near large deposits of salt or freshwater. Crocodiles are incredibly strong, bodies built for prediction including powerful jaws. These reptiles are carnivores (meat eating animals).

  

   

  • Turtles - are reptiles with hard shell which encloses all of their internal organs. they have been around our planet approximately two-hundred million years  ago. Types of turtles are: freshwater, terrestrial and marine. consist of a great variety of shapes and sizes and has a horny sharp beak. (Do not  have teeth).

  
  
  

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  What are birds?

  Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic, egg-laying, vertebrate animals. With around 10,000 living species, they are the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates.

  Types of birds:

  • Flightless birds - birds that cannot fly. Additionally, instead of flying, some flightless birds can run quickly to move around.  Example: ducks

  

• Water Birds - Birds are comfortable in water , these include American Golden-Plover , Geese , Swans , Pelicans. Water birds find food in both water and land. 

  

   

  Perching Birds - Special adaptation for resting on branches. When a perching bird lands on a tree , it's feet automatically close around a branch. Examples are Soundbirds , Robins , Warblers , and Sparrows.

  
  
  
  
  

       

  
  

  • Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily via flight, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds.

    Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing flesh. In most cases, the females are considerably larger than the males.

    

    •   Mammals - Any of various warm-blooded vertebrate animals of the class Mammalia, including humans, characterized by a covering of hair on the skin and, in the female, milk-producing mammary glands for nourishing the young.

      

      •  Aquatic - An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. Examples of aquatic animals are; Dolphin , Fish , Shark ,Whale etc.

        

     

     

     

     

    CROSS WORD PUZZLE
    DOWN:
    1.      A swimming bird with a flat bill, short legs and webbed feet.
    2.      A small, crested, long-tailed Australian parrot, often kept as a pet.
    3.      Aquatic vertebrate that has a skin covered with scales, two sets of paired fins, some unpaired fins, and a set of gills.
    4.      A mammal belonging to the order Primates, found in the zoo eating bananas.
    5.      A small horse.
    6.      Cold blooded animals.
    
    
    ACROSS:
    7.      Tobago’s national bird.
    8.      Bird on the Fruit Loops cereal box that has like 10 different colors on his nose.
    9.      Trinidad’s national bird.
    10.  Aquatic birds, having very long legs and neck, webbed feet, a bill bent downward at the tip, and pinkish to scarlet plumage.
    11.  Aquatic or terrestrial reptiles having horny toothless jaws and a bony or leathery shell into which the head, limbs, and tail can be withdrawn in most species.
    12.  A large heavily built social cat.
    
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  References: Emperor Valley Zoo (Port of Spain)