Classifying Animals

Classifying Animals Instructors: Carolina Diaz and Stacey Tuttle

Let's warm up our brains! Opening Activity:

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Pictures on each table Categorize the pictures into 5 piles based on

your observations and prior knowledge Why do you believe the pictures you chose fit together? Be prepared to explain how you categorized the pictures and why

What are the different animal classifications? vMammal vBird vReptile vAmphibian vFish 

What do these terms mean? Let’s delve further…

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Vertebrate: animals having a bony or cartilaginous skeleton with a segmented spinal column and a large brain enclosed in a skull or cranium.

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http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=vertebrate

Mammal  vertebrates (they are animals with backbones)  have lungs and breathe in air  warm-blooded (they are able to maintain a

constant body temperature regardless of the outside temperature)  the capacity to produce milk  give birth to living young and most provide protection and care for them before and after birth.  have hair/fur  differ in appearance in shape: some have four legs, some can fly, and some can swim.  four-chambered hearts that circulate blood efficiently to all parts of the body http://ezinearticles.com/?Characteristics-of-Mammals&id=244501

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Common Mammals We See Everyday

Bird vWarm-blooded (a relatively high and constant body temperature mostly independent of the surroundings) vVertebrates vSkin is covered by feathers vHave four chambered hearts (like mammals) vBones are lightweight and usually hollow vHave wings vLay eggs  

http://www.ecnca.org/Animals/Birds/Bird_Characteristics.htm

Birds you may see in Florida

Reptile vCold-blooded (variable body temperature which closely matches that of the surroundings) vSkin has scales, no feathers or fur vHave three-chambered hearts (except alligators and crocodiles which have fourchambered hearts) vHave claws on their toes vFirst animal in evolution to develop an amniotic egg (A thin, membranous, fluidfilled sac surrounding an embryo which keeps it from drying out) which allows them to lay eggs on land http://www.ecnca.org/Animals/Reptiles/Reptile_Characteristics.htm

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Have you seen any of these reptiles before?

Amphibians vCold-blooded (variable body temperature which closely matches that of the surroundings) vSkin is usually smooth and lacks scales, hair, and feathers vDependent upon moisture, need moist skin to breathe vHave three-chambered hearts vLack claws on their toes 

http://www.ecnca.org/Animals/Amphibians/Amphibian_Characteristics.htm

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W h ich o f th e se a m p h ib ia n s h a ve yo u se e n b e fo re ?

Fish vCold-blooded (variable body temperature which closely matches that of the surroundings) vAquatic (live in the water) vVertebrate (have backbone) vSkin is covered with scales vHave fins for swimming   

http://www.ecnca.org/Animals/Fish/Fish_Characteristics.htm

Share a time when you have seen a fish

But what about these animals?

Tricky , tricky !

And these?

Let's play a game to challenge our new knowledge!

Next time… vWhat kind of animals did we not cover this week? vFollow-up