Vertebrates
Phylum Chordata
Examples of vertebrates are – fish, frogs, snake, lizard, birds, monkey, cow, cat, elephant, kangaroo, humans, etc.
5)Mammalia
- Body covered with hair
- Warm blooded animals
- Possess pointing external ears
- Breathe through lungs
- Give birth to young ones
- Young ones suckle from mammary glands present in mothers.
- Usually have tails and four limbs.
Examples** - Cow, dog, cat, elephant, whale, dolphin, rat, human
Marine Mammals
- Polar bears, Pinnipeds(seals, sea lions), Sirenians (Manatees, Dugongs), Cetaceans (whales, dolphins), Sea otters
- Blue whale is the largest known mammal. They as well as Whale sharks feed on small zooplankton such as krill and other small fish.
- Killer whales/Orcas are top marine predators.
- Sperm whales are deepest divers reaching as low as 1981 meters
- Marine mammals are known for their hearing abilities, esp echolocation - sending out sound waves which echo back to help the perceive their surroundings.
4) Amphibia
- Live in land as well as water
- Body covered with slimy, slippery skin
- Cold blooded animals
- Many have long legs to help them jump
- Give birth by laying eggs in water
- Breathes through lungs and moist skin
Examples - Frogs, toads,
3)Aves(Birds)
- Body covered with feathers
- Have a streamlined body and wings that helps in flying
- Warm blooded animals
- Bones are hollow and light in weight.
- They have scales only on eggs and claws on their toes.
- Jaws with horny beak, but have no teeth
- Female lays hard shelled eggs.
- Penguins are most adapted to marine life but have lost the ability to fly. They move swiftly through water by using their wings as flippers.
- They live in the Southern Ocean and feed on krill, small fishes, squid.
Other sea birds include the albatross
Examples : Eagle, Sparrow, Pigeon, Hen, Peacock, Duck
2) Reptile
- Mostly found on land some live in water
- Dry skin with a body covered with scales
- Cold blooded animals
- Crawl on land with the help of 4 short legs
- With the exception of sea snakes, all these species must return to land to reproduce by laying eggs.
- Females lay soft shelled eggs on land
- Breathe through lungs
- Sea turtles & marine iguanas are herbivores. Sea turtles eat sea grasses and sponges and marine iguanas eat algae.
- The leatherback turtle is the largest of the turtles & the deepest diving reptiles. It prefers to dine on drifting jellies.
- Sea snakes and crocodiles are carnivores.
Examples - Lizards, snakes, turtles, tortoise, crocodiles, marine iguana, salt water crocodiles.
1) Pisces (Fishes)
- Aquatic (Sea water or Fresh water)
- Streamlined body (i.e narrow at both ends
- Swim with the help of fins
- Cold blooded animals
- Covered with scales
- Breathes through gills
- Give birth by laying eggs
Examples : Sting Ray, Doctor Wish, Shark
- Fishes can be divided into 3 major groups -
- Jawless fish
These do not have upper or lower jaws that they can open and close. Instead they have a disk-like mouth paired with a rasping tongue. Now, there are not as many jawless species as they were about 400 million years ago.
Examples - Hagfish, which are scavengers in the deep & known to produce massive quantities of slime. Lampreys are another example, they can also venture into fresh water.
- Cartilaginous fishes(Class-Chondrichthyes)
These fishes have skeletons made entirely of cartilage 5 types of fins (pectoral, pelvic, dorsal, anal, caudal), usually 5 external gill slits & multiple rows of teeth.
They also have a type of scale called 'placoid scales' which look like tiny teeth & these help water flow smoothly over their bodies. This group contains the largest fish i.e the Whale Shark.
Rays & Skates along with other fishes such as guitarfishes and sawfishes are collectively known as 'Batoids'. Many of them are flat, live close to the bottom or even bury in the sand to hide from predators. Chondrichthyan fishes are known for their extraordinary electrosensory system, which allows them to sense electric fields that are created by living things in the ocean. Along with all their other senses, such as vision (light detection), olfaction (smell//taste, chemical detection), hearing (sound detection) & lateral line (water flow detection) this sense helps them to be some of the world's most successful predators.
Examples - Sharks, Rays, Skates
- Bony fish (Class-Osteichthyes)
These are the largest group. These are more flexible & manoeuvrable than cartilaginous fishes. Their skeleton is comprised of bone instead of cartilage and their scales look like overlapping fingernails than tiny teeth.
Examples - Sailfish, Tuna, Angler fish, Parrot fishes.