Classification of Animals

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Classifying animals video from Next Generation Science - www.ngscience.com. Video focuses on the classification of animals as vertebrates and invertebrates.

Suitable for Grades 2-4 and aligned to the NGSS standards.

Animals come in all shapes and sizes. To make them easier to study, understand and name, scientists classify animals into groups based on ways they are the same.

One way animals can be classified is by the presence or absence of a backbone. A backbone is a series of small bones, called vertebrae, that run down the center of an animal’s back.

Animals with a backbone are classified together as vertebrates. Animals without a backbone are classified together as invertebrates.

Most of the animals on Earth are invertebrates. Invertebrates include small animals such as insects, spiders, worms and snails.

Sea creatures such as giant clams, squid, lobsters and starfish are invertebrates too.

Tigers, monkeys, dolphins, squirrels and polar bears are mammals. Mammals are animals with a body covered in hair or fur. Most mammals reproduce by giving birth to live young. Female mammals produce milk which they feed their young. Mammals are warm-blooded animals. They have lungs and take in oxygen when they breathe in air. Some mammals, such as dolphins, seals and whales, live in the ocean. They must come to the surface to breathe.

Birds are the only animals that have bodies covered in feathers. Birds also have two wings, two feet and a beak or bill.

Most birds use their wings to fly. There are some flightless birds such as ostriches and kiwis. These birds walk and run using their legs. Penguins are also flightless birds. They use their wings as fins and rudders to help them swim.Like mammals, birds are warm-blooded. They have lungs and get the oxygen they need by breathing in air.

Birds reproduce by laying eggs.

Alligators, snakes, turtles and lizards are reptiles. Reptiles have lungs and get the oxygen they need by breathing in air. Most reptiles live on land, but some such as sea turtles, sea snakes, crocodiles and alligators live in water. Reptiles have bodies covered in scales or hard plates. The scales and plates protect the reptiles and also keep them from drying out in hot weather. Reptiles are cold-blooded. This means their body temperature changes with the temperature of their surroundings.

Amphibians are animals that usually spend the first part of their lives in water before moving onto land. The most common type of amphibians are frogs. Other amphibians include salamanders and caecilians. Like reptiles, amphibians are cold-blooded. Their body temperature is dependent on the temperature of the environment.

A young amphibian has gills and takes in oxygen from water. The gills develop into lungs as it gets older. Most amphibians have smooth, moist skin. They often live in moist places or near bodies of water such as ponds and puddles.

Fish are animals that live in water. Most fish live in the ocean, which is salt water. Fish can also be found in freshwater habitats, such as streams, rivers and lakes.

Most fish reproduce by laying eggs, but some give birth to live young. Fish have body parts well-adapted to life in water. They have gills to take in oxygen from the water. They have fins and tails to help them swim.

Like reptiles and amphibians, fish are cold-blooded.

Many of the animals around us are invertebrates. An invertebrate is an animal that does not have an internal skeleton of bones or a backbone. Without bones or a backbone for support, invertebrates are generally smaller in size than vertebrates. For support and protection, many invertebrates such as insects, spiders and crabs, have a hard outer body covering. Some insects have one or two sets of wings and are able to fly.