Animal Classification

Animal Classification

From the Zoo to YOU!

Mego ChenTiffany FowlerLiz Margush

Alyce Porawski

What is a Mammal?There are all different kinds of mammals! Some

live in the water, some in the desert, some on the plains and some in the rainforests. Mammals are almost everywhere. You can tell a mammal from other types of animals because they are warm-blooded and give birth to their babies instead of laying eggs. Mammals also have fur or hair on their bodies.

MammalsMy dog Dakota is

a mammal, and so are wild wolves. The reason that dogs and wolves look alike is that they are both members of the same species, Canis.

Lions that live in Africa (and at the zoo) are mammals, and so are sea lions. These two animals are not related but share the same name because they make similar sounds.

Mammals The picture to the left is an

orangutan. His name means “forest man.”

Monkeys, chimps and baboons – oh my! Play the fun game called “Matching Apes” here: http://www.nwf.org/kidzone/kzPage.cfm?siteId=3&departmentId=77http://www.nwf.org/kidzone/kzPage.cfm?siteId=3&departmentId=77

What is a Fish?

There are three rules about fish!They MUST live in water.They MUST have fins to swim.

& They MUST use gills to get oxygen from the water!

Fish–Fish swim by

moving their bodies in a wiggly motion. They look like an “S” and use their fins to steer.

–Some fish live in

freshwater, like streams, rivers and ponds. Some fish live in salty water, like the ocean and some lakes. Some fish, like the salmon, can live in both fresh and salt water.

There are two fish games at this website:

http://www.nwf.org/kidzone/kzPage.cfm?siteId=3&departmentId=77

One is called “Fish Food” and the other is called “Matching Fish”. Have fun!

Fish In The Little Mermaid,

Flounder looks like this:

In real life, a flounder looks like this:

Q: What is the best way to catch a fish? A: Have someone throw one to you!

What is a Bird?

Birds are warm-blooded animals that lay eggs. This makes them like both the mammal and the reptile, but they are neither. Birds also have feathers and wings, and most, but not all birds can fly!

Birds Besides being our

national symbol, the Bald Eagle is an endangered species. But it is making a comeback because of the efforts of many humans to preserve its habitat.

Birds The picture on the left is

from the National Wildlife Federation’s website! It shows a penguin scratching an itch. Penguins are birds, but they can’t fly!

Ostriches can’t fly either! A very fun game called “Bird

Brain” can be found at: http://www.nwf.org/kidzone/kzPage.cfm?siteId=3&departmentId=77

What is an Amphibian?Amphibians are animals that live

half their life on land and half in the water! They may be born in the water (like tadpoles) but they will grow up and live on land (like frogs). They are cold-blooded animals.

Amphibians Salamanders are nocturnal – that means they

sleep during the day and come out at night.

Frogs and toads are different! Frogs have long legs, live in water, and have smooth skin. Toads have short legs, live on land, and have bumpy skin.

AmphibiansWant frogs in your

own backyard?This article tells you how to build your own frog pond!

http://www.nwf.org/kidzone/kzPage.cfm?siteId=3&departmentId=154&articleId=280

What is a Reptile?Reptiles are cold-blooded animals.

They need to live in warm climates or heat themselves in the sun to keep their body temperatures high enough to survive. Reptiles have dry, scaly skin and breathe with lungs.

Reptiles The Galapagos turtle is an endangered species.

We saw one at the Philadelphia Zoo, but scientists believe that unless humans help, these turtles will soon be extinct.

Galapagos turtles live on the Galapagos Islands, which are near South America. These turtles can live to be 150 years old!

Reptiles Some reptiles are

venomous. That means that they can poison other animals!

Some venomous reptiles in the U.S. are the Gila Monster Lizard, the Coral Snake and the Pit Viper.

Most venomous reptiles will not bite unless bothered!

                                                                                                                                                                                              Cottonmouth snake

Gila Monster

Copperhead snake

…and that’s how animals can be classified!

Mammals

Fish

Amphibians

Reptiles

Birds

References www.phillyzoo.org http://www.yahooligans.com/content/animal

s/ http://www.nwf.org/kidzone/kzPage.cfm?site

Id=3 http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/books/seals/se

als1.htm http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/specinfo/flou

nder/flounbro.htm