3

Did you ever think about what life would be like if there were no animals on earth?  We would have a hard time getting the food we need, the clothes we wear and even doing lots of jobs.  Animals give us food (milk, eggs, meat, cheese, yoghurt, honey- to name a few), they give us materials to make clothes (such as wool from sheep and llamas), and they help us do our jobs (seeing eye dogs help blind people to get around, horses and donkeys help farmers do their jobs, and can be a means of transportation.

3.1 What is a vertebrate?

Vertebrates have a skeleton inside them.  An important part of this skeleton is the backbone.  Most vertebrates have a head, a trunk, limbs and a tail.

What do vertebrates eat?

Herbivores- eat only plants

Carnivores- eat only meat

Omnivores- eat both plants and meat

3.2 How Can We Classify Vertebrates? 

Fish-  Fish are oviparous (they are born from eggs) They have scales. They live in water.

Amphibians- Amphhibians are oviparous, they don´t have scales or hair (just skin), They live in water and on land. 

Reptiles- Reptiles are oviparous. They have scales. Some live in water, but most live on land. 

Birds- Birds are oviparous. They have feathers.  Most birds can fly. 

Mammals- Mammals are viviparous (their babies grow inside the mother and are born alive.) Most have hair.  Some live in the water, but most live on land.  Some can fly. 

Can FISH fly?  This video shows the flying fish, a fish that can jump very far using its long fins like wings!  AMAZING! 

What other interesting animals can you think of?  Which is your favorite?  

Click here to play a fun game about vertebrate characteristics 

Look at some of our Animal Acrostic Poems! We wrote them in groups and they turned out great! :) 

And in Fun Science we wrote riddles about vertebrate animals. Can you guess the answers???

1. This animal has a tail. its brown and white. It has four legs and eats hay and is a mammal.

2. This animal is a reptile.  It hasn´t got a shell.  Its got scales.  They live in the land and their house is in the jungle. What animal is it?

3. This animal has scales on their bodies, also its got fins and a tail.  They swim. 

4. This animal has got 3 fins. Its blue and white. Its got a tail and eat fish. What is it?

5. It has hair, four legs and a tail.  It is orange and black.  It is a mammal.  And it is carnivorous. 

6. It is a reptile.  It is a vertebrate.  It doesn´t have legs.  What is it?

7. This animal has fur.  Its brown and very nice. it has four legs and a tail.  It eats hay and runs a lot.  Its a mammal.

8. This animal has scales. Its green.  It has four legs and eats other animals. What is it?

9. This animal has got a shell.  Its got four legs and a tail. 

Answers:  1. HORSE 2. SNAKE 3. FISH 4. SHARK 5. TIGER 6. SNAKE 7. HORSE 8. CROCODILE 9. TURTLE

3.3 What is an invertebrate?

Invertebrates don´t have a backbone.  They are usually smaller than vertebrates.  All invertebrates are oviparous (that means they lay eggs).  Most of the animals on Earth are invertebrates.  Some live on land and others live in water. 

Some invertebrates, like snails have a shell or hard cover to protect their bodies.  Others, like caterpillars don´t have any protection.  

Invertebrates can be herbivores (like bees), carnivores (like spiders) or omnivores (like mussels).

Want to know more?  Here´s a great show all about Invertebrates!!!  Click on the three links below 

3.4 How can we classify invertebrates?

Molluscs- have a soft muscular body, some, like snails, have a shell.  many live in the sea.  Mussels, oysters and octopuses are all molluscs

Arthropods- The biggest group of invertebrates.  Their bodies are divided into 3 parts.  They have a hard skin and joints in their legs.  Insects and arachnids are arthropods (ants, bees, spiders, scorpions) 

Worms- have a long soft body.  They don´t have shells.  Some live on land, others live in water.  

Jellyfish- live in water.  They have soft bodies.  They have tentacles that can sting you!

Sponges- have soft bodies covered with little holes.  They live in water.

Starfish- protected by hard outer parts.  They live in water.  They usually have five arms, but can have as many as 20 arms!