Animals: All about ANIMALS & CHARACTERISTICS With Images

Learn all about Animals and their Characteristics in English with Images. Scientists sort the different types of animals in the world into categories based on certain characteristics. Animals are generally grouped into six types of animals. The system for animal classifications is called taxonomy.

Table of Contents

What is an Animal?

A living organism that feeds on organic matter typically has specialized sense organs and a nervous system and is able to respond rapidly to stimuli.

In BIOLOGY:

Relating to or denoting the pole or extremity of an embryo that contains the more active cytoplasm in the early stages of development.

Scientists sort the different types of animals in the world into categories based on certain characteristics. Animals are generally grouped into six types of animals. The system for animal classifications is called taxonomy.

The Animal Kingdom:

All animals belong to a biological kingdom called kingdom Animalia. This kingdom is then broken down into over 30 groups, or phyla (plural form of phylum). About 75% of all species on Earth are animals.

Animals are then broken down into two types: VERTEBRATES and INVERTEBRATES.

Animals with a backbone are vertebrates.
Vertebrates belong to the phylum called Phylum Chordate.
Vertebrates are further broken down into five classes: amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles.
Animals without a backbone are invertebrates.
Most invertebrates are in the phylum Arthropod.

All About Amphibians:

All amphibians are vertebrates, and they need moist environments or water to survive.

They are cold-blooded.
They absorb water and breathe through their thin skin.
They have at least one special skin gland used for defense.
Most follow the life cycle of egg-larva-adult.

Examples of Amphibians:

Frogs
Newts
Salamanders
Toads

All About Birds:

Birds are a type of warm-blooded vertebrate that are adapted to fly.

Not all birds can fly, but they do all have wings.
Birds have beaks that help them catch and swallow food.
The digestive system of a bird allows it to eat whenever it can and digest the food later.
Birds lay eggs to reproduce.

Examples of Birds:

Albatrosses
Chickens
Hummingbirds
Falcons
Flamingoes
Ostriches
Owls
Parrots
Penguins
Pigeons

All About Fish:

Fish are also vertebrates, and they are considered the oldest-known vertebrates.

They are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, which means they rely on their surroundings to regulate their body temperature.
Fish have fins.
Most, but not all, fish have bodies covered in scales and breathe through gills.
Fish live underwater.

Examples of Fish:

Eels
Hagfish
Lampreys
Minnows
Rays
Salmon
Seahorses
Sharks

All About Mammals:

Mammals are another type of vertebrate that belong to the class Mammalia.

Young mammals get nourishment from milk produced by their mothers.
Most mammals have hair.
Their jaw is hinged directly to their skull, unlike all other vertebrates.

Examples of Mammals:

Aardvarks
Bats
Elephants
Hamsters
Humans
Rabbits
Rhinoceroses
Whales

All About Reptiles:

Reptiles are thought to be the first vertebrates to live completely on land. But, not all reptiles live only on land today.

They are cold-blooded, or ectothermic.
They lay eggs to reproduce.
They have four legs or are descended from animals with four legs.
They breathe through the lungs.
Their bodies are covered in scales or scutes.

Examples of Reptiles:

Different species of reptiles can be tiny or huge.

Crocodiles
Geckos
Lizards
Sea turtles
Snakes
Tortoises
Turtles

All About Invertebrates:

Approximately 95% of all animals are invertebrates. Invertebrates do not have a backbone. There are different types of invertebrates, but they all share a few characteristics.

They are made up of many cells that work together or are multicellular.
Most, but not all, have tissues, cells that work together in a more complex way.
Most, but not all, can move.
There are over 35 phyla of invertebrates.
They generally have soft bodies.

Types of Invertebrates:

There are eight phyla of invertebrates that are alive today.

Annelida – has a segmented body and primitive brain
Arthropods – have jointed appendages and an exoskeleton
Cnidarian – have tissues and an incomplete digestive system
Echinodermata – have some type of spiny structure on their outside
Mollusca – generally have soft bodies and a hard exoskeleton
Nematode – unsegmented with worm-shaped bodies
Platyhelminthes – soft, ribbon-like worms with no respiratory system
Purifier – multicellular organisms living in water with no organs or tissues