Name _________________________________________ Date _________________ Period ________
CLASSIFICATION LAB ANSWER SHEET
Directions: Record all answers from the classification lab. Tear this sheet out and turn in.
COMMON NAME
PART 1: GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (KEY A)
1. _____starfish____________________________
2. _____jellyfish____________________________
3. ______Ascaris worm_______________________
4. _____spider______________________________
5. ______sponge_____________________________
6. _____Clam worm (nereis)__________________
7. _____bullfrog_____________________________
8. ______grasshopper_________________________
9. _______sea anenome________________________
10. ______clam_______________________________
PART II: ARTHROPODS (KEY B)
1. _____bee__________________________________
2. ____millipede_____________________________
3. _____spider_______________________________
4. _____scorpion_____________________________
5. _____crayfish______________________________
PART III: CHORDATES (KEY C)
1. ____bullfrog_______________________________
2. ____shark________________________________
3. _____snake_______________________________
4. ______pig________________________________
5. ____bird__________________________________
6. _______perch______________________________
7. ______lizard______________________________
SCIENTIFIC NAME
PHYLUM
1. __________________________________
2. __________________________________
3. __________________________________
4. __________________________________
5. __________________________________
6. __________________________________
7. __________________________________
8. __________________________________
9. __________________________________
10. __________________________________
CLASS
1. __________________________________
2. __________________________________
3. __________________________________
4. __________________________________
5. __________________________________
1. __________________________________
2. __________________________________
3. __________________________________
4. __________________________________
5. __________________________________
6. __________________________________
7. __________________________________
Name: ____________________ Group Members: ______________________________________________
ANIMAL CLASSIFICATION LAB
For work in Biology, it is essential to have the proper scientific name of the animal or plant with which
you are working so that the experiment can be repeated by another scientist, perhaps at a distance, using
essentially the same materials and organisms. It would not be sufficient, therefore, to simply say that one worked
on a crayfish. There are over 200 species of crayfish in the United States alone. In order to make sure that the
work can be repeated, it is necessary to specify what particular species of crayfish should be employed.
Therefore, precise naming of animals is invaluable in all branches of biology. In the earlier days of naming
animals, the science was called taxonomy, which meant merely the assigning of names. In the present, we speak
of it as systematics, involving not only the assigning of names but also the arrangement of animals in a logical
systematic order that shows their relationship to one another.
Purpose:
The purpose of this exercise is to familiarize you with methods of classifying animals and of identifying
animals whose names are already in existence. In this study we should also become familiar with the great
diversity within the animal kingdom and come to appreciate some of the relationships between the various groups
of animals.
Procedure:
Animal classification relies principally on external morphology. Review in your resource book the
relationship of the terms homology, implying evolutionary similarity and a common embryonic origin, and the
word analogy, which implies superficial resemblance. In classification, the greater the number of homologous
structures two animals have in common, the more closely they are regarded as related.
In this exercise, while we will not attempt to give names to animals, we will attempt to find names that
have already been given. The simplest method of locating the name of an unknown animal is by the use of an
appropriate key. A key is literally a structural map of a phylum, class, genus, species, and other taxonomic unit. It
operates by successfully eliminating choices until the correct choice is reached. It is obvious that the more
detailed a key is, the more accurate it is and the smaller the systematic unit will be in which the key will place an
animal. Therefore, in dealing with the following simple keys no provision is made for occasional exceptions to
the rule. Keys are available in a great number of books for practically every existing group of plants and animals.
However, as the use of a specialized key involves a great deal of specialized terminology, our keys will be
necessarily simple. You will find that the simpler the key the greater the chances of error, for one word or a brief
statement will not be sufficient for identifying all the animals in a give phylum, class or order.
Using the representative animals available to you, identify the phylum to which each belongs. Remember
that in each couplet of the key you will find either that the animal belongs at that point or that you go on to the
next number until it is properly described. Complete the chart at the end of this lab, using the appropriate key
with the labeled trays.