Kingdom Animalia:

classification

Key words
abdomen
exoskeleton
invertebrate
thorax
vertebrate

Tree diagram of Animalia

Animalia

Backbone
Animals are classified at the first level
by the presence of a backbone: those
with backbones are called vertebrates
those without are invertebrates.
Most of the lower animals are
invertebrates and include a range of
soft-bodied animals ranging from
plantlike Porifera and worms through
through spiny-skinned
Echinodermata to Arthropoda.

Nematoda
Mollusca
Echinodermata
Platyhelminthes

Annelida

Coelenterata

The Arthropoda

Porifera

Arthropoda

The arthropods do not possess bones

but do have a hard structure
surrounding their bodies called an
exoskeleton. The most successful
group of arthropods are the insects,
which have three pairs of jointed legs
and a segmented body divided into
three parts: head, thorax, and
abdomen.

The vertebrates
Almost all large animals are vertebrates
and have a well-developed backbone
and a complex nervous system.
Vertebrates are also called Chordata.
The most primitive chordates are the
cartilaginous fish (the
Chondrichthyes), which do not
possess true bone but rely on tough
cartilage. The most well-known species
in this group are the various types of
shark.
Mammals are the most successful
group and are warm-blooded, possess
fur, give birth to live young, and feed
them on milk produced by the
mammary glands.

Arachnida

Insecta

Chilopoda
and Diplopoda
Chordata

Chondrichthyes
Aves
Amphibia

Osteichthyes

Reptilia
Mammalia

Diagram Visual Information Ltd.

Crustacea