Animal Classification

Today we learned about how animals are classified into groups. Animals are either vertebrates  (which means they have a spine) or invertebrates (which don't have a spine).

Invertebrates are animals like jellyfish,crabs,insects and octopus.

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

Five examples of each type:

Mammals: rabbits, llamas, giraffes, koala and tiger.

Birds: penguins,parrots,swans,eagles and owls.

Reptiles: sea turtles,snakes, alligators,chameleons and tuataras.

Amphibians: frogs, salamanders, toads and newts.

Fish: sharks,eels,fish, seahorses, and stingray.