ANIMAL

KINGDOM
 VERTEBRATES

•Vertebrates are animal with

internal skeleton and a backbone
Five Major Classes of Vertebrates:

• Fish
• Amphibians
• Reptiles
• Birds
• Mammals
 VERTEBRATES
•Fish (class: pisces)
•Half all vertebrates are fish
•They occupy both fresh water and salt
water
Fish
 Fish

• Most fish breathe through gills. Gills perform the gas exchange
between the water and the fish's blood. They allow the fish to
breathe oxygen in the water.
• Fishes are vertebrates that have a skeleton made of either bone
or cartilage.
 Fish
• Class Schonrichthyes
• Like the lampreys they have a skeleton
made of cartilage rather than bone.

• Class Osteichthyes
• Have a skeleton made of bone.
• They have an air sac known as the swim
bladder which helps them rise and sink.
• The bony fish include tuna and salmon.
 Fish
• Most fish swim using a tail fin. Muscles
in the tail fin move it from side to side,
forcing water backward, and propeling
the fish forward. Other fins help the fish
change direction and stop. Pectoral fins
on their side help them swim up and
down. Dorsal and anal fins on the top
and bottom keep the fish upright. Pelvic
fins on the underside help steer left and
right.
 (class: Amphibia)

• The fossil records shows that the fins of some of the

bony fish have changed over time into limbs.
• These organisms(including reptiles, birds, etc) are
known as tetrapods.
• The first tetrapods to appear and live a portion of their
life cycle on the land were the amphibians.
• Amphibians lay their eggs in water, and young
amphibians tend to resemble small fish.
• Amphibians use moist skin and lungs for gaseous
exchange and they reproduce using external
fertilization.
• Depending on the species of amphibian, breathing
can take place in gills, lungs, the lining of the mouth, the
skin, or some combination of these.
• Amphibians body temperature changes with its
environment. In cold climates, amphibians hibernate
during the winter.
• The tadpole, or newborn
frog, is born and lives in
water. It has a tail that
allows it to swim like a
fish. It also has gills so that
it can breathe under
water. As the tadpole grow
into a frog, it loses its gills
and tail, and develops legs
for moving on land
 Reptiles (class: Reptilla)
• Reptiles are air-breathing animals, although many live not only
on land but in water.
• The most noticeable feature of reptiles are the scales that cover
their body
• The majority of reptiles lay eggs to give birth to their young.
• Although reptiles breathe through lungs, some reptiles can also
absorb oxygen in water through membranes in their mouth.
• Reptiles are often called cold-blooded because they can't
regulate their own body temperature.
 Reptiles
• Lizards and Snakes(Order
Squamata)
• Lizards and snakes are the largest
group of reptiles.

• Turtles(Order Testudines)

• Crocodilians(Order Crocodilians)
Reptiles
 Reptiles
• Difference Between Amphibians and Reptiles
• Unlike amphibians, reptiles have body scales that create a
waterproof barrier that helps prevent dehydration in dry air.
• They are also lacking the moist skin of amphibians, so most
reptiles only use their lungs for gas exchange.
 (class: Ave)

• There are over 8,000 species of birds. Birds have 3 major differentiating
characteristics: wings for flight, feathers, and a beak rather than teeth.
• Birds have adapted their vertebrate skeleton for flight. Their bones and skull
are very thin, making their bodies extremely light.
• The claws and muscles of a bird's foot are designed to lock and hold onto a
perch even while the bird is sleeping.
• A bird's respiratory system is also adapted to make it easier to breathe at
high elevations, where air is thinner.
 Birds are part of a separate class, but evolutionary
biologist have found evidence that birds are related
to at least one group of dinosaurs.
 Mammals (class: mammalia)
• Most mammals have hair, or fur, covering their body.
• They are also capable of regulating their body temperature. The
mammals metabolism controls heat production, and the sweat
glands help cool the body. These allow the mammal to maintain
a constant body temperature, regardless of the environmental
temperature.
• One other difference is that mammals give birth to fully formed
babies, and the female mammals produce milk to feed their
young.
 Mammals
• Most mammals walk on 4 legs, with only the humans walking
upright on 2 legs. Aquatic mammals have flippers, or fins, for
swimming rather than legs.
• Common mammals include:
• Monotremes
• Marsupials;
• Placental
Mammals
• Monotremes
• Egg-laying mammals
• Only living examples are
the duck-billed platypus
and the echidna
• Found only in Australia and
New Guinea
 Mammals
• Marsupials
• Pouched mammals
• Have a short gestation period (the
amount of time offspring develop in the
uterus)
• Most found in Australia
• Examples include koala bears and
kangaroos
• Opossum is the only North American
marsupial
 Mammals
• Placental
• Have a placenta
• Have great diversity in species
and structure
• Include bears, bats, whales,
primates and humans