Classifying Animals
The Center for Lost Animals of the World

Welcome students, to the Center for Lost Animals of the World!
I am the Center Coordinator and I could use your help.  In the past few weeks, the number of lost animals has increased by hundreds! 
There are so many, I can't help them all find their homes fast enough!  I'm running out of places to keep them all until I can get them all home safely.

koala
Koala
 whale
Whale
 pig
Pig
 snake
Snake
squirrel
Squirrel
 frog
Frog
 monkey
Monkey
 hummingbird
Hummingbird
spider
Spider
 seal
Seal
 fish
Fish
 butterfly
Butterfly
worm
Earth Worm
 lobster
Lobster
 snail
Snail
 starfish
Star Fish

How can you help?
First of all, we wouldn't want to send the animals home to the wrong place or the wrong family.  It is very important we find out what class of animals they are from.
There are so many animals in the world that we organize them into groups or classes.  These are listed in the chart below.  Each of the animals at the Center for Lost Animals (pictured in the chart above) belongs to one of these categories.  Help me find out which category they belong to so we can help them get home!
Vertebrates
 Invertibrates
Mammals
non-specified mammal
 Mollusk
Primate
 Echinoderm
Marine Mammal Annelid
Marsupial
Rodent
Cetacean
Non-Mammals Anthropods
Amphibian Insect
Reptile Arachnid
Bird Crustacean
Fish

Use the following websites to learn about each group of animals:
Classifying Animals at LearningHaven.com

Classifying Animals at Kidport.com

Classifying Animals at FactMonster.com

Questions to answer:
1. What is the difference between vertebrates and invertibrates?
2. What is the difference between warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals?
3. What  makes an animal a mammal?
4. Besides the fact that amphibians, reptiles, birds and fish are not mammals, what else do they have in common?
 5. Why are insects, arachnids, and crustaceans all anthropods?
6. Is a Koala really a bear? Why or why not?

Can't find the answer? Want to learn more?
For more information on animal classification, try these key words in a search engine like www.google.com:
  • Animal Classification
  • zoo animals
Activity 1:
Now that you know all about the classes of animals, where do our friends at the Center for Lost Animals belong?
Use this worksheet to answer the question, you can print it out to make it easier.

Activity 2:
Create a Mystery Animal for a classmate.