Vertebrates;Animals with Backbones

By Barbara Guzzo

Birds

Amphibians

Fish

Mammals

Reptiles

Vertebrates …are animals that have a backbone. There are 5 groups of Vertebrates. Click on each group to learn how

they are the same and how they are different.

…Many birds migrate, or move from colder to warmer areas as winter approaches, and returning to cooler places during the warmer summer months.

Birds are different from other vertebrates because …•They have feathers, not fur!•Most can fly. •Other vertebrates have four legs, but birds have only two.

Owls have…• Large eyes that face forward. • Holes for ears• A hawk-like beak • A circle of feathers called a facial disc around each eye. •Binocular vision… but like all birds, they must turn their entire head to look around.• Owls can see things that are far away , but not things that are close to them of their eyes.

Parrots …• Have a strong ,curved bill• Strong legs and clawed feet. • Eat seeds, nuts, fruit, and sometimes bugs and small animals• Are usually mostly green , but some types (species) multi-colored. • Sometimes have a crest of feathers on their heads. • Parrots, are intelligent birds and can learn to talk. They are good at mimicking human voices. Other birds that can learn to talk are ravens, crows, jaysand magpies

Amphibians…

•Include salamanders, frogs, toads, newts, and caecilians. Are cold-blooded) animals.

•Most have four limbs, but the Caecilians are limbless and look like snakes or worms.

•Almost always lay their eggs in water. The young metamorphose from a water-breathing baby to an air-breathing adult.

•Amphibians often look like reptiles.

Frogs•Most frogs have long hind legs and

webbed digits (fingers or toes), protruding eyes and no

tail. • Frogs are excellent jumpers,

• Frogs are often semi-aquatic, laying their eggs in

or around puddles, ponds or lakes, and their

• Frog larvae are called tadpoles• .Adult frogs are carnivores (meat-

eaters).•Most frogs species are found in

tropical rainforests.• There are 5,000 known species of frogs•Many frog populations are declining ,

because Humans are moving into and often

harming their habitats.

Metamorphosis•The larvae (tadpoles or polliwogs) breathe with gills after they are born. •After hatching, they slowly transform into adults. This change is called metamorphosis. •Usually adults leave the water and live on the land•The easiest part of the is the growth of four legs so the animal can walk on land. •Other changes include:

Gills are replaced by air-breathing lungs. The skin changes and develops glands to avoid dehydration. Eyelids form and the animal is able to

see out of the water In frogs and toads, the tail disappears.

Fish  • All fish live in the water, but some

live in fresh and some in salt water. • They breathe with gills, not lungs. • They have scales, not skin, and fins

instead of feet.

• Fish are cold-blooded and usually lay eggs.

• Not all animals that look "fishy“ are really fish.

• A true fish can not breathe air. It must get its

oxygen from the water. •Whales and dolphins look like fish,

but they breathe air and are mammals.

Shark Teeth!•The teeth of sharks are constantly replaced throughout the shark's life. •Sharks’ teeth grow in multiple rows •Some sharks can lose as many as 30,000 teeth in their lifetime. •Some sharks can replace as often as every 8–10 days •The shape of a shark's tooth varies with its diet.•The cookiecutter shark grows an entire row of teeth all at once.

Angler Fish

•Many Anglerfish live in the deeper , darker parts of the ocean •Angler have 3 long filament that grow from their heads. They wiggle them like “fishing poles” to catch their prey.•The tip of the filaments sometimes glows•An Anglerfish can swallow a fish twice its size because its moth is so big.•In Japan, people love to eat Anglerfish, and will pay $150 for each fish!

All Mammals… •Are warm-blooded•Have a backbone •Have four limbs (except for some aquatic species) •Have mammary (milk-secreting) glands •Have hair at some stage •Have a jaw hinged to the skull •Hear through bones in the middle ear•Mammals can be as tiny as a mouse or shrew, or as large as a blue whale.•Except for the platypus and the echidna, all bear live young.

Did you know that……Dolphins have a streamlined fusiform body, adapted for fast swimming?

…Dolphin heads have a round organ used for echolocation, called the melon?

…Dolphins breathe through a blowhole on top of their head?

…The dolphin brain is different than that of most land mammals?

…Do not have hair, except a few when they are first born?

…Dolphins are highly intelligent animals ?

Lions

•Are the second largest cat in the world•Usually, only the females hunt for food•A group of lions is called a “pride”•Males are the only cat with a mane, and all lions have a unique tufted tail.•Lions spend 20 hours a day doing nothing!•Some very large lions have weighed over 800 lbs (in a zoo). •There are White lions.

If You Were A Reptile…

…You’d have scaly skin and feet (if you have feet) with claws on their toes.

…You would look like an amphibian, but you would be born with lungs, not gills.

…You would hatch an egg that has a leathery covering to keep you safe.

…You would be one of the more than 8,000 species of reptiles.

…You would NOT chew your food – you’d swallow it whole!

…You would most likely be a snake, turtle, lizard, alligator, or a crocodile.

Alligators and Crocodiles

…Are very closely related. …Usually live in tropical or semitropical areas.

…Are some of the biggest reptiles. … Have thick scaly skin and webbed toes. …Live in swamps or on the banks of

waterways. …The crocodile spends more time in the water

than the alligator…The crocodile has a thinner , triangular head

and a pointier nose than the alligator. …The alligator is less active than the

crocodile. …The alligator is a brown color, but crocodiles

are green.…Both reptiles eat fish and nearby land

animals. They sometimes attack people!

Snakes•Snakes are covered with scales that are often colorful. Snakes molt (shed their outer skin) several times a year by rubbibg against rocks or sticks.

•Because it has no legs, snakes have thick scales on their bellies and extra-strong muscles that help it move.

•Snakes can move side to side, in a curve, or up and down. The fastest a snake can move is several miles per hour.

•Snakes have no eyelids. There is a transparent covering over the eye that protects it.

•Snakes have a long, thin forked tongue which is used for smelling.

California Content Standards

Life SciencesK2. a. Students know how to observe and describe similarities and differences in the appearance and behavior of plants and animals (e.g., seed-bearing plants, birds, fish, insects). K2.c. Students know how to identify major structures of common plants and animals (e.g., stems, leaves, roots, arms, wings, legs).

Investigation and Experimentation K4. a Students will: Observe common objects by using the five senses. K4.b. Describe the properties of common objects. K4.d. Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight).

Information and LinksCredits:

All Clip Art and Backgrounds- copyright-free from: http://www.clipart.com/en/index

Animal Information:Owls, Sharks, Parrots, Fish,

Amphibians, Dolphins, Mammalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Reptiles, Birds:http://www.mcwdn.org/Animals/Classification.html

Fish:http://www.learningtreasures.com/