Animals: Vertebrates

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Animals: Vertebrates

There are animals called chordates that, at one point in their development had three things.

They had a notochord, a nerve cord, and a pharyngeal slit.

A notochord is basically the backbone of an animal.

A nerve cord is a cord that runs along the animal's body that is the branch for the rest of the nerves.

The pharyngeal slit is an opening between the exterior of the body and the body cavity.

The biggest group of chordates are called vertebrates.

Vertebrates all have skulls and endoskeleton.

An endoskeleton is a skeleton that internally supports the body.

Endoskeletons are made up of parts such as a rib cage, leg bones, and skulls.

Vertebrates are always either warm or cold-blooded.

Vertebrates that are cold-blooded are called Ectotherms.

Vertebrates that are warm-blooded are called Endotherms.

Cold-blooded animals’ temperatures change with the temperature of the surrounding area.

Whereas, warm-blooded animals’ temperatures don’t change as much.

Fish are the largest group of vertebrates.

Fish have slits called gills that carry out a gas exchange with water in order for them to breathe underwater.

Fish also have fins, they use their fins to help steer them as they’re swimming.

Fish have endoskeletons that are typically made of bone or cartilage.

There are also fish called bony fish.

Bony fish have scales as well but are covered in a coat of mucus.

The mucus is used to help them glide through the water.

All fish have something called a swim bladder.

Their swim bladder is used to help them float and sink.

Fish fertilize their eggs using an external fertilization process.

The external fertilization process is when the eggs male eggs are fertilized with the sperm outside of the female fish.

Aside from Bony fish, there are Cartilaginous fish.

Cartilaginous fish skeletons are commonly made up of cartilage hence the name.

Cartilaginous fish are like vampires in the sense where they suck other fish’s blood.

Along with fish, amphibians are also vertebrates.

Amphibians classify as any animal that lived part of their lived in the water and part on land.

Amphibians are also ectotherms similar to fish.

Most amphibians, because they are ectotherms, move to cold or hot places depending on what the weather is like.

Amphibians use both their lung and their skin to carry out something they have called gas exchange.

Amphibians are usually very moist.

They need to be moist in order to carry out their gas exchange.

Most amphibians have something called external fertilization, they use this just like fish do.

Amphibians never look the same as babies then they do as adults.

Amphibians go through a process called metamorphosis.

Metamorphosis is when amphibians have body transformations.

One of the most widely known, easy to understand forms of metamorphosis is the transformation of frogs.

Frogs go through metamorphosis which is why they go from a tadpole to a frog.

Reptiles are another form of invertebrates.

Reptiles are invertebrates that only live on land.

Reptiles, like amphibians and fish, are also ectotherms.

Similar to hibernation some vertebrates go through, reptiles go through something called brumation.

Unlike amphibians and fish, reptiles use internal fertilization like humans.

Reptiles’ eggs are soft shelled.

This is to make sure when the reptiles lay their eggs they don’t die when they land.

Reptile eggs are also something called amniotic.

Amniotic eggs are eggs that provide food for the growing embryo.

Birds are also vertebrates, they are vertebrates that have wings, legs, bills, or beaks.

Birds are the only animals that have feathers.

Birds like most other vertebrates are ectotherms so they use energy to heat themselves internally.

Aside from birds, amphibians, fish, reptiles there are also mammals.

Mammals are anything that has mammary glands, is an ectotherm, and uses internal fertilization.

There are three main types of mammals.

There are monotremes, marsupials, and placentals.

Monotremes are mammals that lay leathery shelled eggs.

Monotremes consist of Duck-billed platypus and echidna. They can be found in Australia, Tanzania, and New Guinea.

Marsupials are animals like kangaroos that raise their young a pouch.

Marsupials consist of animals like wombats, kangaroos, and opossums.

Placentals are mammals that have “belly buttons,” because they had Umbilical cords connecting them to their parents.

Mammals can either be herbivore, omnivores, or carnivores.

Mammals are generally more capable of learning and remembering the things they see, hear, and learn.