ANIMALS

(Just the Basics!)

• CHARACTERISTICS OF MOST ANIMALS:

– Multicellular– Animal cells are eukaryotic (have nucleus, etc)– Depend on other living things for food– Digest food– Move from place to place (locomotion)– Most reproduce sexually, though some may also

reproduce asexually

• Herbivores are animals that eat only plants or plant parts for energy

• Carnivores eat only other animals. Most carnivores hunt, but some are scavengers.

• scavengers are carnivorous animals that eat the remains of other animals

• Omnivores eat both plant matter and animal flesh

• An adaptation is a variation that makes an organism better suited to its environment

• Animals employ different adaptations to help them survive and reproduce

• Adaptations for survival include fur, coverings, horns, talons, mimicry, camouflage and behavioral adaptations.

• Mimicry is when one animal closely resembles another

- Some outer coverings that protect an animal include quills and protective plates

• Camouflage is an adaptation that helps an animal blend in to its environment

• Some animals display defensive behavioral adaptations, such as a skunk’s spray

• CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS:

• Vertebrates are animals that have a backbone–Humans, fish, snakes, birds…

• Invertebrates do not have a backbone– Sponges, worms, insects…

• Symmetry refers to how parts of an animal are arranged

• An animal with no definite shape is asymmetrical – ex: sponge

• Animals that have body parts arranged in a circle around a central point have radial symmetry

- Ex: jellyfish, hydra

• Many animals, including humans, have bilateral symmetry. This means that they can be divided into right and left sides, and the sides are mirror images of each other.