Vertebrates Animals with a Backbone or Spinal Column:

Fish 20,000 different species of fish Fish use gills to breathe Group: Pisces 20,000 different species of fish Fish use gills to breathe Lay eggs Scales cover body

Amphibians Class: Amphibia Amphibians lay their eggs in water Breathe through their skin Amphibians body temperature changes with its environment Amphibians hibernate during the winter

Reptiles Class: Reptilia Live on land and water Cold blooded animals Lay eggs Scales cover their bodies

Birds Class: Aves Over 8,000 species. 3 major differentiating characteristics: wings for flight, feathers, and a beak rather than teeth Vertebrate skeleton for flight Bones and skull are very thin, making their bodies extremely light. Lay eggs

Mammals Class: Mammalia Land Mammal Hair or fur covers body Regulated body temperature Give birth to young Walk on 4 legs Water mammals Swim with fins or tails

Marsupials Order: Marsupialia Members of the mammal family Different from other mammals because they have an abdominal pouch to carry their young At birth, marsupial babies are not fully developed. The baby's hind legs are just nubs. The baby lives and continues to develop in the mother's pouch. The pouch, or marsupium, also has the mother's mammary glands for feeding the baby.

Primates Order: Primates Members of the mammal family Humans are part of the primate family Primates have several distinctive features that separate them from other mammals Primates have well developed hands and feet, with fingers and toes Primate eyes are forward in the head giving them stereoscopic vision Primates also have large, highly developed brains -distinguish colors -develop complex language and communication skills

Rodents Order: Rodentia Members of the mammal family Largest family of mammals "gnawing animal," because of their large incisor teeth and the way they eat. The two long pairs of incisors are used like chisels to gnaw on hard foods like nuts and wood.

Cetaceans Order: Cetacea Members of the mammal family sparse covering of hair they cannot breathe under water. They must come to the surface to breathe air They breathe through a blowhole, or nostrils, on the top of their head.