Animal Grouping and Classification

Animal Grouping

• Animals are grouped according to their features, food, and movement
• Animals are divided into Vertebrates and Invertebrates based on their features
  • Vertebrates have backbones
  • Invertebrates do not have backbones

Vertebrates

• Fish: Live in water
• Amphibians: Live on land and in water
• Reptiles: Move by creeping or crawling
• Birds: Have wings, feathers, a beak; some can fly
• Mammals: Feed young with milk; give birth to young

Invertebrates

• Worms: Long, soft bodies
• Spiders: Eight legs
• Insects: Six legs, often wings, three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen)

Animal Food Groups

• Carnivores: Eat only meat
• Herbivores: Eat only plants
• Omnivores: Eat both meat and plants
• Insectivores: Eat only insects

Animal Movement

• Animals move using legs, wings, fins, and bodies
  • Legs for running, climbing, crawling
  • Wings for flying
  • Fins for swimming
  • Bodies for crawling, creeping

Food Chains

• Food chains show how living things get food and how energy passes from one to another
• Food chains start with plants and end with animals

Predator and Prey

• Predator: An animal that hunts other animals for food
• Prey: An animal that is hunted by a predator for food