VERTEBRATES

Seite 1

VERTEBRATES

Mammals

People are mammals. So are dogs, cats, horses, duckbill

platypuses, kangaroos, dolphins and whales. What do all these animals

have in common, you ask?

The answer is –

MILK! If an animal drinks milk when it is a baby and has hair on its

body, it belongs to the mammal class.

Birds

Birds are animals that have feathers and that are born out of

hard-shelled eggs.

Some people think that what makes an animal a bird is its wings.

Bats have wings. Flies have wings. Bats and flies are not

birds. So what makes an animal a bird?

The answer is

feathers!

All birds have

feathers and birds are the only animals that do. The feathers on a bird’s

wings and tail overlap. Because they overlap, the feathers catch and hold

the air. This helps the bird to fly, steer itself and land.

Fish

Fish are vertebrates that live in water and have gills, scales and fins

on their body. There are a lot of different fish and many of them look

very odd indeed. There are blind fish, fish with noses like elephants,

fish that shoot down passing bugs with a stream of water and even fish that

crawl onto land and hop about!

Reptiles

Reptiles are a

class of animal with scaly skin. They are cold blooded and are born on

land.

Snakes,

lizards, crocodiles, alligators and turtles all belong to the reptile class.

Amphibians

Amphibians are

born in the water. When they are born, they breath with gills like a

fish. But when they grow up, they develop lungs and can live on land.

Tomado de http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/animal_classes.htm