Animal Classification

Today we learned about how animals are classified into groups. Animals are either vertebrates (which means they a spine) or invertebrates ( which means they don't have spines). Invertebrates are animals like jellyfish, crabs, insects and octopus.

Vertebrates are put into five groups. There are mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Mammals have fur or hair and give birth to live young. Birds have feathers and lay hard eggs. Fish breathe through gills and have fins. Reptiles are cold blooded and lay soft eggs. Amphibians breathe through their skin and need to keep their skin moist.

Five examples of each type:

Mammals: Elephants, Monkeys, bears, dogs and cats.

Birds: Robins, bluebirds, tuis, hummingbirds and sparrows.

Fish: Angel fish, gold fish, sea horses, parrot fish and x-ray fish.

Reptiles: Crocodiles, snakes, turtles, lizards and tuataras.

Amphibians: Frogs, salamanders, newts, caecilians and toads.