Download Animals Study Guide

Student Goals for Animals
I can explain the difference between a vertebrate and an
invertebrate.
I can describe the characteristics of: insects, spiders, fish, birds,
amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, and place animals into these
groups.
I can describe the life cycle of a frog.
I can explain how an animal’s structures help it to survive.
I can describe the different levels in the food chain.
(producer, consumer, decomposer)
I can categorize animals into groups based on what they eat.
(herbivore, omnivore, carnivore)
I can create a food chain.
Study Guide
Mammals:
warm-blooded
have hair or fur
born alive
babies get milk from mothers
Reptiles:
cold-blooded
have scales or bony plates & lungs
most lay eggs on land
Amphibians:
cold-blooded
smooth skin
adults breathe through lungs & skin
young breathe through gills
lay eggs in water
can live on land or in water
Birds:
warm-blooded
have feathers
lay eggs
have 2 legs and 2 wings
Fish:
cold-blooded
have scales (most), fins, & gills
lay eggs in water
Insects:
have 6 jointed legs (3 pairs)
3 body parts (head, thorax, & abdomen)
exoskeleton
Spiders (Arachnids):
four jointed pairs of legs
no wings or antennae
2 body parts (abdomen & cephalothorax)
exoskeleton
usually have 8 simple eyes
Warm-blooded animals have constant body temperatures.
Cold-blooded animals have body temperatures that adjust to the
temperatures of their environment.
Vertebrates are animals that have backbones.
Invertebrates are animals without backbones.
Classification is a system of grouping things which are alike in some
way.
Metamorphosis: the process by which an animal changes from an
immature form to an adult form
A food chain is the path by which energy passes from one living
thing to another. It is made up of a series of organisms that each
depend on the next as a source of food.
sample:
plant --> caterpillar --> bird --> cat
A food web is created when several food chains are linked together.
Green plants are called producers because they use energy from
the sun to make their own food.
Consumers eat plants or other animals to get energy.
Herbivores are consumers that only eat plants.
Carnivores are consumers that only eat meat.
Omnivores are consumers that eat both plants & animals.
Decomposers return nutrients to the soil by breaking down dead
plants and animals.