Animal Diversity

Objective: Students will be able to:

• Compare the characteristics shared by all animals
• Explain the characteristics used to classify animals
• Compare the features of organisms for their adaptive, competitive and
survival potential
• Compare and contrast the characteristics of invertebrates and chordates
Animals:

▪ Multicellular and eukaryotes

▪ Cells are specialized for different functions
▪ Cells are surrounded by a protein called collagen to keep their shape
▪ Heterotrophs which means they get their energy by eating other
organism
▪ They digest their food
▪ Most reproduce sexually
▪ Most can move at some point in their life
Animal Classification

The first step for classification is to see if they have a backbone.

❑ Invertebrate is an animal that does not have a backbone
❑ Vertebrate is an animal that has a backbone.
The second step is to check the symmetry.
❖ Radial symmetry all parts radiate from a central axis
❖ Bilateral symmetry can be divided into two parts that are almost
mirror images
❖ Asymmetry cannot be divided into any two parts that are mirror
images.
Bilateral Symmetry
Radial Symmetry
Invertebrates

▪ Phylum Porifera are sponges. They are the simplest of

animals. All sponges are asymmetrical and have no tissue,
organs or organ systems. All sponges live in water and
most live in the ocean
▪ Phylum Cnidarian includes jellyfish, sea anemones, hydras
and coral. They do not have organs or organ systems .
They have radial symmetry. They have a single opening for
taking in food and release waste. They have specialized
cells called nematocysts which are used for defense and to
capture food. These are stinging cells. All of them live in
water.
Invertebrates

• Phylum Platyhelminthes or flatworms are worms. All

flatworms have bilateral symmetry with nerve, muscle,
digestive tissue and a simple brain. The digestive system
has only one opening. Most are parasites but some are free
living in the ocean.
• Phylum Nematoda or roundworm are worms. All
roundworms have bilateral symmetry with nerve, muscle,
digestive tissue and a simple brain. They have a mouth and
an anus. Some are parasites and others are free living in
water.
Invertebrates

▪ Phylum Annelida or segmented worms. This

would be earthworms, leeches, and marine
worms. They have bilateral symmetry. Their
body has repeating segments. Their digestive
system has two openings. They have a
circulatory system that has vessels that carry
blood throughout the body. They have a
simple brain.
Invertebrates

▪ Phylum Mollusca includes snails, slugs, clams,

mussels, octopi and squid. All have bilateral
symmetry. Some have hard shells. Their digestive
system has two openings. Their body has a body
cavity that contains all of the organs. Their
circulatory system contains blood but no vessels.
They have sensory organs and a simple brain. They
live in water or moist environments.
Invertebrates

▪ Phylum Arthropoda includes insects, spiders, shrimp, crabs…. More

species belong to this phylum than any other. There are more than
one million identified so far. All of them have bilateral symmetry.
They have an exoskeleton. They have jointed appendages. Their
bodies are divided into segments. They live in almost every
environment on Earth. We will look at the individual orders now.
▪ Insects: This is the largest order in Arthropoda. They have three
segments to their bodies. They have three pairs of jointed legs, a pair
of antennae and a pair of compound eyes. Most have one or two
pairs of wings. There are 16 major groups. About 40% are beetles.
Invertebrates

▪ Arachnids are spiders, ticks, and scorpions.

They have two body segments, four pairs of
jointed legs and no antennae or wings.
▪ Crustaceans are crabs, shrimp, lobsters… All
have one or two pairs of antennae. They have
jointed appendages in the mouth area.
Invertebrates

▪Phylum Echinoderm includes sea

stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins.
Their phylum name means spiny
skinned. They are closely related to
vertebrates. They have radial
symmetry. They have tube feet for
moving.
Chordates

▪ Chordates are animals that have a notochord,

a nerve cord, a tail, and structures called
pharyngeal pouches at some point in its life.
▪ Notochord is a flexible, rod-shaped structure
that supports the body of a developing
chordate.
▪ Most chordates are vertebrates but there are
two groups that are invertebrate.
Characteristics of Vertebrates

• They have all the characteristics of chordates at

some point in their life.
• The notochord is replaced with a backbone.
• They have a brain and a well developed organ
system.
• All vertebrates have a digestive system with two
openings, a closed circulatory system, and a
nervous system that includes a brain.
Vertebrate Groups

o Fish: All fish have gills and paired fins. There are
three groups.
1. Jawless fish do not have a jaw. This would be
hagfish and lampreys.
2. Cartilaginous fish have cartilage for their skeleton.
This would be sharks, rays and skates.
3. Bony fish have a skeleton made of bone. This
would be most of the fish that you could name.
Amphibians

▪ Amphibian means double life because amphibians

spend part of their life in water and on land.
1. Skin is smooth and moist
2. Three chambered heart
3. Lay eggs without a shell
4. Young live in water and have gills while most adults
develop lungs and live on land
5. Ectotherms
Reptiles

1. Skin is waterproof and covered in scales

2. Three chambered heart
3. Lungs
4. Eggs with leathery shells
5. Eggs laid on land
6. Ectotherms
Aves (birds)

1. Lightweight bones
2. Skin covered in feathers and scales
3. Two legs and wings
4. Most can fly and have contour feathers that are stiff to help with flight. They also have
oil glands that help the feathers to be waterproof
5. They do not have teeth. Instead, they have a gizzard that is used to grind their food.
6. Four chambered heart
7. Eggs have a hard shell
8. They feed and care for their young
9. Endotherms
Mammals

1. Fur or hair covers their bodies

2. Specialized teeth
3. Digestion system with two openings
4. Complex nervous system
5. Mammary glands
6. Diaphragm
7. Four chambered heart
8. Endotherms
 Support

❖ Hydrostatic Skeleton is a fluid-filled internal cavity

surrounded by muscle tissue. The fluid filled cavity
is called the coelom. Earthworms, jellyfish, and sea
anemones have hydrostatic skeletons. They do not
have bones or any other hard structures for support.
How do they get away without have these hard
structures? How could having hard structures be a
disadvantage in their habitats?
Support

Exoskeleton: This is a hard outer covering. It provides

protection for organs and support. It also prevents the
animal from drying out. To grow, the animal must molt.
Name some animals with an exoskeleton. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of this type of support?
Endoskeleton: This is an internal skeleton that can be
made of bone or cartilage. It protects internal organs and
provides structure and support. Can you name an animal
with an endoskeleton? What are the advantages and
disadvantages of this type of support?
Control

▪Nerve net: this is a netlike control system

that sends signals to and from all parts of
the body. Cnidarians have a nerve net.
▪Nerve cords: These animals have many
neurons that detect changes in its
external environment. Animals with
nerve cords have bilateral symmetry.
Movement

•Undulate: this is a wave like motion.

These animals use their muscles to
push their bodies forward.
•Swimming
•Walking
•Flying
Circulation and Respiration

▪All animals need oxygen to

survive. How animals obtain there
oxygen will depend on their
habitat.
▪Where do you think it would be
harder to obtain oxygen?
Circulation and Respiration

▪ Types of Respiration:
1. Diffusion: this is the movement of substances from an
area of higher concentration to an area of lower
concentration. Porifera do this. Remember, that they are
the simplest of animals. Their bodies are not very thick so
they do not need a special structure for respiration.
2. Spiracles: these are tiny holes on the surface of an
organism where oxygen enters the body and carbon
dioxide leaves. This is done by insects. Let’s go back to
the diagram of the grasshopper. The holes shown on the
abdomen are spiracles.
Circulation and Respiration

3. Gills: these are organs that enable oxygen to

diffuse into an animal’s body and carbon
dioxide to diffuse out. This is done by most
aquatic animals.
4. Lungs: these are baglike organs that can be
filled with air. Lungs are moist so that
oxygen can dissolve in them and be
transferred to the bloodstream.
Circulation and Respiration

▪ Open circulatory systems are a system that

transports blood and other fluids into open
spaces that surround organs in the body.
Insects have an open circulatory system. It is
not very efficient. Oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood are always mixing. The
cells have to pick out what they need from
this mix. This method can take a long time.
Circulation and Respiration

▪ Closed circulatory system is a system that transports materials

through blood using vessels. This is a more efficient means of getting
materials to a cell. It does not take as long. This system needs a
heart. The types of hearts vary by animal.
▪ A fish has a two chambered heart. This allows the mixing of
oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
▪ Amphibians and Reptiles have a three chambered heart. This allows
the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
▪ Birds and mammals have a four chambered heart. There is no mixing
of blood.
Digestion and Excretion

▪ There are different structures used to find and chew food.

You can often tell the diet of an animal by looking at theses
structures. We will look at three different structures.
1. Filter feeding: This feeding process involves taking in large
amounts of water and picking the food out of it. Some
Cnidarians and Mollusks filter feed without moving. They
let the water come to them. Some animals move such as
whales, sharks and fish. Whales use baleen to filter the
water. The whale shark uses its gills.
Digestion and Excretion

2. Mouthparts: Some animals, especially

insects, have special mouthparts for
eating. Butterflies have a long tube-like
tongue for getting nectar, ants have
crushing mandibles for ripping plants
and animals, snails have a saw-like
tongue, called a radula, for cutting plant
material or animal tissue.
Digestion and Excretion

3. Teeth: Animals with teeth have

different types depending on
their diet.
Digestion and Excretion

❖Incisors are used for cutting food.

❖Canines are used for holding, grasping,
and piercing food.
❖Premolars are for holding and crushing
food.
❖Molars are for grinding the food.
Digestion and Excretion

▪ After the food has been chewed it normally passes to

special structures designed for digestion and absorption.
Many animals have stomachs and intestines. The
structures of each depends on the diet of the animal. For
example, cows have several chambers to their stomachs
because they digest plants.
▪ Crops: This is a structure used to store ingested food.
▪ Gizzards: This is a structure that animals without teeth may
have because it is used to grind the food.
Digestion and Excretion

▪Stomach: This is the structure

responsible for the majority of
digestion.
▪Small intestines is where most
absorption takes place. Absorption is
when nutrients are taken in by the
body.
Digestion and Excretion

▪ Excretion is the removal of wastes. This maybe waste from breathing

or eating. The type of excretion will depend on the environment that
the animal lives in.
1. Diffusion: This is done by sponges. They simple diffuse their waste
into the water.
2. Aquatic animals may remove water using kidneys. This is done by
fish. Carbon dioxide is removed by the gills.
3. Terrestrial animals use their kidneys to get rid of liquid waste. They
make urea or uric acid. They try to save water. They will excrete
solid waste called feces.