Vertebrates
Mammals (Class Mammalia)
Birds (Class Aves)
Reptiles (Class Reptilia)
Amphibians (Class Amphibia)
Bony fishes (Class Osteichthyes)
Cartilaginous fishes (Class
Chondrichthyes)
Jawless fishes (Class Agnatha)
Ester Natalie S. Porras
1.2 BS Psychology
Distinguishing Features/ Characteristics Representative Organism
This class of organisms have the ability to Human
regulate their body temperature irrespective of
the surrounding ambient temperature.
From a biological perspective, birds are Parrot
dinosaurs (more aptly called avian dinosaurs).
This class of organisms are characterized by
feathers, toothless beaks and a high metabolic
rate. Furthermore, members of class Aves lay
hard-shelled eggs.
Reptiles include tetrapods such as snakes, Crocodiles
crocodiles, tuataras and turtles. The
characteristic feature of reptiles is that they are
ectothermic in nature. Snakes are still
considered tetrapods though they have no
visible limbs. This is due to the fact that snakes
evolved from ancestors that had limbs.
Amphibians include ectothermic tetrapods such Frogs
as frogs, toads and salamanders. The
distinguishing feature that separates amphibians
from reptiles is their breeding behaviour. Most
amphibians need a body of water to breed as
their eggs are shell-less.
This class of fishes is characterized by their Sharks
skeleton which is composed primarily of bone
rather than cartilage (such as sharks). Class
Osteichthyes is also the largest class of
vertebrates today.
As the name suggests, this class is characterized Sting Ray
by the cartilaginous skeleton. Members include
sharks, rays, skates and sawfish. Some sharks
such as the massive Greenland shark can live for
several centuries. A specimen that was tagged in
2016 was found to be at least 273 years old.
These are very primitive fishes that have not Lamprey
changed much from fossil records for millions
of years. They have a jawless, circular mouth
with rows of small sharp which aid in holding
and feeding on other fishes. Most members of
this class are parasites and scavengers.
TASK 3
 The use of laboratory animals in biomedical research
The use of animals in biomedical research has been a debatable issue for well over a hundred years. The basic problem
can be stated quite simply: Research with animals has saved human lives, lessened human suffering, and advanced
scientific understanding, yet that same research can cause pain and distress for the animals involved and usually results in
their death. Scientists have been using animals such as rats, rabbits, frogs, and even monkey in doing their research by
using them as a test-subject rather than an actual human, it is critical part of efforts to prevent, cure, and treat a vast range
of ailments. Scientists also use animals to gain basic knowledge in genetics, physiology, and other life sciences. The
recognition that animals are essential in scientific research is critical in making decisions about their use, but these
decisions are also made in the broad context of social and ethical values.

According to Cruelty Free International, at least 192.1 million animals were used for scientific purposes worldwide in
2015. This is the world’s most reliable figure to date. Early 80 million experiments on animals as well as millions of other
animals who are killed for their tissues, used to breed genetically modified animal strains and bred but not used. estimate
that the top 10 animal testing countries in the world are China (20.5 million) Japan (15.0 million), the United States (15.6
million), Canada (3.6 million), Australia (3.2 million), South Korea (3.1 million), the United Kingdom (2.6 million),
Brazil (2.2 million), Germany (2.0 million) and France (1.9 million), in that order. China is still the leading country in
using dogs as their research and United States as the top user of Monkey in experiments.

Only 40 countries worldwide banned or restricted animal testing including Philippines. According to Animal Protection
Index, there are laws against causing animal suffering from Animal Welfare Act of 1998 Section 6 to Section 8. The
Animal Welfare Act of 1998 sets a foundation for protecting animal welfare and the issues associated with the suffering of
animals in the Philippines.

I, personally, as an animal lover and a pet owner, disagrees with using animals as a test-subject for biomedical research
purposes because I believe they deserve to be treated as equal as human, if using animals as test subject, why use humans
instead? Human for human. The study benefits us so we, as humans must be responsible, we should conduct the study or
research with humans not animals and I also believe that conducting experiments on humans gives more accurate results
and this will make a huge advancement in science. I disagree with the statement of Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677) in which
he did not deny animals’ ability to feel, but considered we should nevertheless “use them as we please, treating them in a
way which best suits us; for their nature is not like ours”. Animals, like us humans needs respect because they are also
living things even though we don’t understand them, we don’t have the right to hurt, torture, or kill them in the name of
science or research.