2. Animal Characteristics
Animals can be grouped together by the ways they are similar to each other; what features they share.
What are some of the ways that animals are alike?

3. Over many years zoologists (scientists that study animals) have developed a system to classify animals according to characteristics they share.

4. Animal Characteristics
Vertebrates are animals with backbones.
Invertebrates are animals without backbones.

5. Having a backbone is a very important feature because this separates highly developed animals from those which are less so.

6. Vertebrates
Mammals
Birds
Reptiles
Amphibians
Fish

7. Characteristics of Mammals
Breathe air with lungs.
Warm-blooded.
Body covered with fur or hair.
Develop inside mother’s body.
Produce milk to feed their young.

8. Characteristics of Birds
Live on land.
Breathe air with lungs.
Body covered with feathers.
Have hollow, lightweight bones.
Lay eggs.

9. Characteristics of Reptiles
Live mainly on land.
Breathe air with lungs.
Cold-blooded.
Body covered with hard plates or scales.
Most lay soft-shelled eggs.

10. Characteristics of Fish
Live entirely in water.
Obtain dissolved oxygen from water with gills.
Cold-blooded.
Most are covered with scales.
Most lay eggs.

11. Animals can be classified in many ways
Animals can be classified in many ways. Make a table grouping these animals according to their body covering: scales, skin, fur and hair, feathers, shell.
rabbit
whale
turtle
snake
owl
fish
zebra
salamander
lion
frog
butterfly
crocodile
bird
snail
cat
Answers next

12. Butterflies have scales?
Body coverings
shell
skin
fur/hair
feathers
scales
snail
frog
lion
owl
snake
turtle
whale
rabbit
bird
fish
salamander
zebra
crocodile
cat
butterfly
Butterflies have scales?

13. their colors seem to fade.
Did you know that butterfly wings are covered with tiny colored scales? These scales give butterflies their beautiful patterns. When butterflies get older, they lose these scales and
their colors seem to fade.
Let’s classify the animals another way………………..

14. Animal Characteristics can be Physical or Behavioral

15. A Cheetah’s spots
help to hide
it from prey.

16. A cheetah will patiently stalk its
prey.

17. Movement Some animals hop. Some animals slither. Some animals swim.
Some animals fly.
Some animals walk.
Some animals crawl.
Some animals ski.

18. This time make a table grouping these animals according to movement: swim, fly, crawl, hop, walk, slither. Keep in mind that some animals move several ways.
rabbit
whale
turtle
snake
owl
fish
zebra
salamander
lion
frog
butterfly
crocodile
bird
snail
cat
Answers next

19. Movement
swim
fly
crawl
hop
walk
slither
fish
butterfly
salamander
frog
zebra
snail
whale
bird
crocodile
rabbit
cat
salamander
crocodile
owl
turtle
bird
lion
snake
turtle
Can you think of another way to classify them?

20. Quantities/Qualities Lab
Quantity: Is the number of something.
Qualities: Are characteristics that can be either physical or behavioral.

21. Qualities:
Long trunk/nose.
Large ear flaps.
Tusks.
Large body.
Quantities:
One trunk.
Two tusks.
Two ears.
Four legs

22. Qualities/Quantities Lab Instructions
10 Stations
Each Station will have a different Specimen.
At your assigned station, you will write the name of the specimen.
You will list 5 Qualities and 5 Quantities of the specimen.

23. Do You Have Any Questions?
Actually, I do have a question.

24. Let’s Go to Lab