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 such as jellyfish, crabs, octopus and insects.

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.

Here are five examples of each type:

Mammals: Tiger, Dog, Zebra, Chimpanzee and Otter

Birds: Goose, Swan, Turkey, Parrot and woodpecker

Fish: Goldfish, Eels, Sharks, Seahorses and Stingray

Reptiles: Crocodile, Tuatara, Snake, Tortoise, Chameleon
Amphibians: Frogs, Toads, Newts, Salamanders and Caecilians