Classifying Organisms

Week Eleven

Lesson 11: Grouping & classifying organisms

S5L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to group organisms using scientific classification procedures.

a. Develop a model that illustrates how animals are sorted into groups (vertebrate and invertebrate) and how vertebrates are sorted into groups (fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal) using data from multiple sources.

What is classification?

- Classification is the process of identifying something based of their characteristics.

- It is when you recognize things or organisms, and are able to put them into groups.

Why do people & scientists use classification?

- It can be used to help make organisms and other things easier to observe and study.

- Living things can be organized in groups, which helps scientists understand more about what they are studying.

- By the way that they are grouped, it can help us understand the characteristics of organisms.

Let's focus on the basics:

- There are 2 major groups of animals: vertebrate, and invertebrate.

- Vertebrates are animals that have backbones

- Invertebrates are animals without backbones

- There are 5 types of vertebrates:

Mammals

Ex. dog, lion, bear, cat, human, dolphin, squirrel, monkey

Characteristics:

- Warm blooded

- Feeds milk to their young

- Usually has hair or fur

- Breathes with lungs

Fish

Ex. shark, goldfish, flounder, trout, seahorse, stingray

Characteristics:

- Cold blooded

- Most lay eggs

- Smooth skin, or skin with scales

- Lives in water & breathes with gills

Birds

Ex. sparrow, robin, chicken, ostrich, woodpecker, penguin

Characteristics:

- Warm blooded & lays eggs

- 2 legs and 2 wings

- Has a beak and feathers

- Breathes with lungs

Reptiles

Ex. lizard, turtle, alligator, snake, crocodile

Characteristics:

- Cold blooded

- Lays eggs

- Breathes with lungs

- Has scales

Amphibians

Ex. frog, newt, salamander

Characteristics:

- Cold blooded & lays eggs

- Usually has slimy skin

- As a tadpole it has gills, then it has lungs as an adult

- There are 6 types of invertebrates:

Arthropods

Ex. (insects) spiders, butterfly, dragonfly, scorpion

Characteristics:

- Segmented body

- Exoskeleton

- Jointed limbs

- Largest group of invertebrates

Mollusks

Ex. snail, oysters, clams, octopus, squid

Characteristics:

- Have soft bodies

- Mostly live in shells

Worms

Ex. roundworms, flatworms, annelid worms

- Have soft bodies

Sponges

Ex. vase sponge, tube sponge

Characteristics:

- Live in water

- No organs or tissues

- Feed on other tiny organisms that pass by in water currents

Cnidarians

Ex. jellyfish, sea anemones

- Lives in water

- Bodies are usually symmetrical

- Mouth has tentacles that stings prey to paralyze them

Echinoderms

Ex. sea stars, sand dollar, sea urchin

- Lives in water

- Spiny exoskeleton

---

Now, it's your turn...

Part A

1.) Is this organism a vertebrate or invertebrate?

________________________________________

2.) How do you know?

__________________________________________________________________________________

3.) Which type of invertebrate/vertebrate is it? Why?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Part B:

Using the organisms listed below, sort them into groups (invertebrate/vertebrate) Then draw a chart on a sheet of paper and group them into categories.

Use the picture below to help you!

- Deer - Ant

- Snake - Camel

- Duck - Lobster

- Goat - Sea lion

- Wasp - Turtle

- Toad - Grasshopper

- Crocodile - Starfish

---

Vocabulary:

Animal – organism that is made up of more than one cell and depends on other organisms to survive

Vertebrate- an animal with a backbone

Invertebrate–an animal without a backbone

Fish– an aquatic vertebrate that has gills and fins and usually covered in scales

Mammal– a vertebrate that usually has hair or fur and produces milk for its young

Bird– an egg-laying vertebrate that has wings and feathers

Reptile– a vertebrate that has a covering of scales and reproduces on land

Amphibian– a smooth-skinned vertebrate that hatches from an egg laid in water

Classify- arrange (a group of people or things) in categories according to shared qualities or characteristics

Characteristics- a feature or quality that belongs to a person, place, or thing

---

Here are some extra videos below!