VERTEBRATES
an animal of a large group distinguished by the possession of a backbone or spinal column, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.
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· Vertebrates are divided into five major groups i. e. fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
· Fish have no legs and they swim and live in water. They have fins for swimming.
· Amphibians have legs. Their skin is moist. They can live both in water and on land. They swim in water and hop on land e. g. frog.
· Reptiles have legs. Their skin has scales. They crawl on land e. g. snake.
· Birds have legs. Their skin has feathers. They live on land and can fly in air e. g. sparrow.
· Mammals have legs. They have hair on their skin. They feed their young ones on milk. Most mammals live on land and can run e. g. goat, cow.
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Amphibians
● Are ectothermic, most can breathe in water with gills as young, go through metamorphosis and breathe on land with lungs as adults, and lay jelly-like eggs.
● Major groups include amphibians are frogs, toads, and salamanders.
● Frogs and salamanders have smooth, moist skin, through which they can breathe and live part of their life in water and part on land.
● Toads have thicker, bumpy skin and live on land.
Reptiles
● Are ectothermic, breathe with lungs, most lay eggs, although in some the eggs hatch inside the female, and have scales or plates.
Birds
● Are endothermic, breathe with lungs, lay eggs, have feathers, and have a beak, two wings, and two feet.
Mammals
● Are endothermic, breathe with lungs, most have babies that are born live, have fur or hair; and produce milk to feed their young.
Invertebrates comprise the remaining phyla of the Animal Kingdom. They include sponges, segmented worms, echinoderms, mollusks, and arthropods. Invertebrates share certain characteristics:
● Do not have backbones or internal skeletons.
● Some have external skeletons, called exoskeletons.