3E Animals (Group 5)

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CONCEPT MAP

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Bottlenose Dolphins

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Darwin and evolution

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Darwin

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A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae, also called eft during its terrestrial juvenile phase. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats over the year, sometimes even staying in the water full-time. Not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts, however. The more than 100 known species of newts are found in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental life stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (eft), and adult. Adult newts have lizard-like bodies and return to the water every year to breed, otherwise living in humid, cover-rich land habitats. Newts are threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation and pollution. Several species are endangered, and at least one species, the Yunnan lake newt, has gone extinct recently

ANIMALS

ARACHNIDS/ARTHROPODS

spider

scientific name:Araneae

Spiders are air-breathing arthropods/arachnids that have eight legs. They are the largest order of arachnids/arthropods and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other orders of organisms. Spiders are found worldwide on every continent except for Antarctica, and have become established in nearly every habitat with the exceptions of air and sea colonization. As of November 2015, at least 45,700 spider species, and 113 families have been recorded by taxonomists. However, there has been dissension within the scientific community as to how all these families should be classified, as evidenced by the over 20 different classifications that have been proposed since 1900.

solifugae

Solifugae is an order of animals known variously as camel spiders, wind scorpions, sun spiders, or solifuges. The order includes more than 1,000 described species in about 153 genera. Despite the common names, they are neither true scorpions (order Scorpiones) nor true spiders (order Araneae) – though they are more closely related to scorpions than to spiders.Most species of Solifugae live in dry climates and feed opportunistically on ground-dwelling arthropods and other small animals. The largest species grow to a length of 12–15 cm (5–6 in), including legs. A number of urban legends exaggerate the size and speed of the Solifugae, and their potential danger to humans, which is negligible.

scorpion

Class:Arachnida

scientific name: pandinus imperater

Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping pedipalps and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic

The word scorpion is thought to have originated in Middle English between 1175 and 1225 AD from Old French scorpion, or from Italian scorpione.

They have a stinger at their back.

BIRDS

crow

Crows have such high level of intelligence that it has been observed that if a crow is unable to crack a nut, then it puts it on a highway so that vehicle could pass over it to crack it open. It was also observed that they prefer to put the nut under smaller vehicles so that the kernel is not be reduced to pulp!

A test conducted in 2004 revealed that crows are cleverer than Bonobo chimpanzees. This fact made them the most intelligent creatures after humans, and hence, scientists named them as ‘feathered apes’.

Crows are much smarter than birds, like owls, who often hunt them. Moreover, they also surpass the intelligence level of parrots.

Crows have the biggest brain to body ratio among all bird species. Evolved with a highly developed forebrain, where intelligence is regulated, the anatomy of the crow brain is much similar to humans’.

Crow is a widely distributed genus of medium-sized to large birds in the family Corvidae. The genus includes species commonly known as crows, ravens, rooks and jackdaws; there is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", and these appellations have been assigned to different species chiefly on the basis of their size, crows generally being smaller than ravens. In Europe, the word "crow" is used to refer to the carrion crow or the hooded crow, while in North America, it is used for the American crow, fish crow, or the northwestern crow.

Scientific name:Corvus

crow's calling

pigeon

Pigeon is a bird that lives in close proximity to humans for thousands of years. There are over 300 different species of pigeons that can be found throughout the world (except in the Sahara desert, on the Antarctica and Arctic). Greatest variety of pigeons exists in India, Malaysia, Asia and Australia. Pigeons inhabit woodlands, tropical rainforests, grasslands, savannas, mangrove, rocky areas and even deserts. These birds are often kept as pets because of their beauty and intelligence. Beside large number of pigeons in the wild, hundreds of thousand pigeons live in captivity. Some species of pigeons are endangered due to habitat loss, predation and diseases.

Pigeons are highly intelligent animals. They are able to recognize themselves in the mirror, to find same people on two different pictures and to recognize all letters of the English alphabet.

Pigeons can survive more than 30 years in the wild.

Pigeons were used as mail carriers during the First and Second World War. They saved numerous lives by delivering information on the enemy's fire.

Because of their incredible speed and endurance, pigeons are used for racing. Winner of the 400 miles long race can earn million dollars.

Pigeons can fly at the speed of 50 to 60 miles per hour. Fastest known pigeon managed to reach speed on 92 miles per hour.

Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae, which includes about 310 species. Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks, and short slender bills (and in some species, these bills feature fleshy ceres). They primarily feed on seeds, fruits, and plants.Pigeon is a French word that derives from the Latin pipio, for a "peeping" chick.The rock pigeon has been domesticated for hundreds of years. It has been bred into several varieties kept by hobbyists, of which the best known is the homing pigeon or racing homer. Other popular breeds are tumbling pigeons such as the Birmingham roller and fancy varieties that are bred for certain physical characteristics, such as large feathers on the feet or fan-shaped tails. Domesticated rock pigeons are also bred as carrier pigeons, used for thousands of years to carry brief written messages,

pigeons cooing

Scientific name:Columbidae

falcon

falcon hunting

Class:Aves

scientific name:Falco peregrinus

Subtopic

Falcons are birds of prey in the genus Falco, which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica.The falcons are the largest genus in the Falconinae subfamily of Falconidae, All these birds kill with their beaks, using a "tooth" on the side of their beaks—unlike the hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey in the Accipitridae, which use their feet. The largest falcon is the gyrfalcon at up to 65 cm in length. The smallest falcons are the kestrels, of which the Seychelles kestrel measures just 25 cm Peregrine falcons have been recorded diving at speeds of 200 miles per hour (320 km/h), making them the fastest-moving creatures on Earth.

Its relative,the peregrine falcon,can travel at 390 km per hour.

MAMMALS

killer whale

scientific name:Orcinus orca

The killer whale or orca is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. Killer whales have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and dolphins. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Killer whales are apex predators, as there is no animal that preys on them. Killer whales can be found in each of the world's oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas.

echidna/spiny anteater

scientific name:Tachyglossidae

Echidnas, sometimes known as spiny anteaters, and the platypus (see above), are the only living mammals that lay eggs. The diet of some species consists of ants and termites, but they are not closely related to the true anteaters of the Americas. Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea. Echidnas evidently evolved between 20 and 50 million years ago, descending from a platypus-like animal. This ancestor lived in water, but echidnas adapted to life on land.

platypus

Class:Mammalia

scientific name:Ornithorhynchus anatinus

The platypus, sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a egg-laying mammal living in Eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth. The animal is the sole living representative of its family and genus, though a number of related species have been found in the fossil record. The first preserved platypus body was thought to have been a fake, made of several animals sewn together, when it was first looked at by scientists in 1799.

How was it Classified?                                                   When the first specimen of the platypus was sent to England for identification, scientists found the appearance of the animal so strange that they thought it had been faked. One of them even tried to remove the bill, thinking that someone had attached different animal parts together.                                                                      Classifying the platypus was a challenge because though it has features of a mammal, it is also similar to other animal groups. it lays eggs like that of a reptile. It has a bill and webbed feet like that of a duck. It has no true teeth and milk oozes from the skin of the female. Instead of from the teats like in other mammals. Finally, scientists classified the platypus as a mammal for three reasons - it has hair as the skin, it is warm-blooded and the female produces milk.  Native to eastern Australia, platypuses like around freshwater rivers or lakes, and make burrows for shelter. They are active mainly at night. They feed on insect larvae, worms or other freshwater insects. A platypus weighs between 1 and 2.4 kg, and has an average lifespan of 12 years. The male platypus can produce venom that is strong enough to kill a small dog and cause much pain to humans.

INSECTS

cockroach

scientific name:Periplaneta americana

Cockroaches are relatives of termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. About four species are well known as pests. The cockroaches are an ancient group, dating back at least as far as some 320 million years ago. Cockroaches are somewhat generalized insects without special adaptations like the sucking mouthparts of aphids and other true bugs; they have chewing mouthparts and are likely among the most primitive of living insects. They are common and hardy insects, and can tolerate a wide range of environments from Arctic cold to tropical heat.

ant

ants

scientific name:Formicidae

Ants are related to wasps and bees. They evolved from wasp-like ancestors about 99 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.

stag beetle

Class:Insecta

scientific name:Lucanidae

The English name is derived from the large and distinctive mandibles found on the males of most species, which resemble the antlers of stags. Male stag beetles use their jaws to wrestle each other for favoured mating sites in a manner that parallels the way stags fight over females. Fights may also be over food, such as tree sap and decaying fruits. Despite their often fearsome appearance, they are not normally aggressive to humans. Female stag beetles are usually smaller than the males, with smaller mandibles. The mandibles, though smaller, are much more powerful than the males'. As larvae, females can be distinguished from males by the presence of cream-coloured, fat ovaries visible through the skin around two-thirds of the way down the larva's back. The larvae feed for several years on rotting wood, growing through three larval stages until eventually pupating inside a pupal cell constructed from surrounding wood pieces and soil particles. In the final larval stage, "L3", the grubs of larger species may be the size of a human finger. Male stag beetles use their jaws to wrestle each other for favoured mating sites. Fights may also be over food, such as tree sap and decaying fruits. Despite their often fearsome appearance, they are not normally aggressive to humans. Female stag beetles are usually smaller than the males, with smaller mandibles. The mandibles, though smaller, are much more powerful than the males'. The larvae feed for several years on rotting wood, growing through three larval stages until eventually pupating inside a pupal cell constructed from surrounding wood pieces and soil particles.

They have horns.

REPTILES

komodo dragon

scientific name:Varanus komodoensis

The Komodo dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar. It is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms.

snake

scientific name:Serpentes

Snakes are carnivorous reptiles that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears.They are ectothermic vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads with their highly mobile jaws. To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung.

crocodile

Class:Reptilia

scientific name:Crocodylinae

Crocodiles or true crocodiles are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia.

FISH

red lion fish

class:Actinopterygii

scientific name:Pterois volitans

The lionfish, a longstanding showstopper in home aquariums, is a flourishing invasive species in U.S. Southeast and Caribbean coastal waters. This invasive species has the potential to harm reef ecosystems because it is a top predator that competes for food and space with overfished native stocks such as snapper and grouper. Scientists fear that lionfish will also kill off helpful species such as algae-eating parrotfish, allowing seaweed to overtake the reefs. In the U.S., the lionfish population is continuing to grow and increase its range. This is largely because lionfish have no known predators and reproduce all year long; a mature female releases roughly two million eggs a year.

guppy

scientific name:Poecilia reticulata

The guppy, also known as millionfish and rainbow fish, is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish, and one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. Like almost all American members of the family, the guppy is live-bearing. Guppies, whose natural range is in northeast South America, were introduced to many habitats and are now found all over the world. They are highly adaptable and thrive in many different environmental and ecological conditions. Male guppies, which are smaller than females, have ornamental fins, while females are duller in colour.

great white shark

Class:Actinopterygii

scientific name:Carcharodon carcharias

Sharks are a group of fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head.Under this broader definition, the earliest known sharks date back to more than 420 million years ago!

AMPHIBIANS

frog

scientific name:Anura

A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (Ancient Greek an-, without + oura, tail). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" appeared in the early Triassic of Madagascar, but molecular clock dating suggests their origins may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforests. There are approximately 4,800 recorded species, accounting for over 85% of extant amphibian species. They are also one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders.

toad

scientific name:Bufo bufo

A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientific taxonomy, but is common in popular culture, in which toads are associated with drier skin and more terrestrial habitats than animals commonly called frogs.

salamander

scientific name:Caudata

Salamanders are a group of amphibians characterized by a lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All present-day salamander families are grouped together under the scientific name Urodela.

newt

Class:Amphibia

scientific name:Pleurodelinae

They have the ability to regenerate limbs, eyes, spinal cords, hearts, intestines, and upper and lower jaws. The Japanese fire belly newt can regenerate its eye lens 18 times over a period of 16 years and still retain its structural and functional properties!

A newt has moist skin.