The five groups of vertebrates
Check each animal's body covering, how it breathes and how its young are born, then sort it into fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds or mammals. Watch out for the bat, the whale and the penguin!
Core concept
In short: Sort animals with a backbone into five groups: fish, frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Animals with a backbone (vertebrates) form five groups, told apart by their body covering, how they breathe and how their young are born
Topic: Animals
Animals with a backbone are called vertebrate: An animal with a backbone, like a fish, frog, bird or human. All key words. They form five groups. Fish live in water, breathe with gills and are covered in scales. Amphibians, like frogs, start life in water breathing with gills and later live on land too, with moist skin. Reptiles, like snakes and lizards, have dry scales and lay eggs with leathery shells on land. Birds have feathers and lay eggs with hard shells. Mammals have hair or fur, give birth to babies and feed them milk. Where an animal lives, or whether it flies, can fool you: to sort an animal, look at its body covering, its breathing and its young.
What you will learn
- Name the five groups of vertebrates.
- Describe the body covering, breathing and young of each group.
- Classify vertebrates using these features rather than where they live.
Before you start
- Know that a vertebrate is an animal with a backbone.
Materials
- Pictures of fish, frogs, snakes, lizards, crocodiles, tortoises, birds and mammals
Equipment
- A hand lens for looking at scales and feathers (optional)
Procedure
- Pick an animal card and check its body covering, how it breathes and its young.
- Do this for at least eight animals, including the bat, the whale and the penguin.
- Sort every animal into its group.