Animal classification organizes animals into a hierarchy of groups based on shared characteristics. At the highest level is the kingdom, with five main classes of vertebrates - mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Each group has distinguishing features, and examples are provided of animals from each group that can be found in Michigan.

1. Animal Classification
What makes a fish a fish? Do all birds
fly? How do we organize animals into
different groups?

2. What is animal classification?
• Animal classification is how
animals are sorted into groups
based on common characteristics.
• The groups are arranged from
general characteristics (for
example, whether an organism is
single-celled or multiple-celled) to
specific (for example, whether a
duck can dive or not).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Biological_cla
ssification_L_Pengo_vflip.svg

3. Kingdom Animalia
• The animal kingdom is the kingdom that we
belong to.
• Each member of the animal kingdom:
– Is made up of many cells
– Eats other organisms to get energy
– Can move its body
– Reacts to stimuli
http://hyperphysics.phy-
astr.gsu.edu/hbase/biology/animal.html

4. Phylum
• The next level of organization after kingdom.
• Organized by body structure (symmetry,
segmentation).
• There are 35 phyla within the animal kingdom.
• Includes vertebrates, or animals with
backbones, and invertebrates, which do not
have backbones.
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/trnov01.htm

5. Classes
• There are five main classes of vertebrates in
the animal kingdom:
– Mammals
– Birds
– Reptiles
– Amphibians
– Fish

6. Mammals
• Best-developed brain
• Warm-blooded
• Live birth
• Has fur or hair
• Drinks milk
• Maternal care
Photo courtesy of Clip Art

7. Which of these would be classified as a
mammal?
• Red-winged blackbird
• Bobcat
• House fly
• Goldfish

8. If you said a
bobcat, you are
correct!

9. Mammals you might find in Michigan:
• Little Brown Bat
• Whitetail deer
• Beaver
Other interesting mammals:
• The duck-billed platypus and the echidna are
the only mammals that lay eggs.
• Bats are the only mammals that can fly!

10. Birds
• Warm-blooded
• Feathers
• Beaks
• Lays eggs
• Flight (usually!)
• Hollow bones
Photo courtesy of Clip Art

11. A bird’s active part in breathing is
the exhale (breathing out).
True or False?

12. True!
Unlike humans, birds must consciously
breathe in, while their exhale occurs
without effort.

13. Michigan birds:
• Pileated woodpecker
• Mallard duck
• Common loon
• Eastern bluebird
Other interesting birds:
• Emus, ostriches, and penguins cannot fly.
• The northern shrike impales its larger prey upon thorns
for ease of eating.
• An owl compensates for its immovable eyes by rotating
its head almost completely around.

14. • Cold-blooded
• Scales as skin covering
• Claws
• Lay eggs (although some snakes do give live
birth!)
Photo courtesy of Clip Art

15. Because reptiles are cold-blooded, they cannot
survive the cold Michigan winters.
True or False?

16. False!
Many reptiles sleep through the winter in a state
called brumation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormancy#Brum
ation

17. Michigan reptiles:
• Garter snake
• Hognose snake
• Five-lined skink (the only lizard in Michigan)
Other interesting reptiles:
• The corn snake has a false rattle that it uses as
a defense mechanism.
• The king cobra lays its eggs in a nest.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAm
phibians/Facts/default.cfm

18. Amphibians
• Cold-blooded
• Breathe through their slimy skin
• Live in water or moist habitat
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10438912@N
07/8084268885

19. An example of an amphibian is:
• A lizard
• A vampire
• A salamander
• A rabbit

20. A salamander is
correct.

21. Amphibians you might find in
Michigan:
• Red-backed salamander
• Green frog
• Spring peeper
• American toad
Other interesting amphibians:
• The barking tree frog has a call that sounds like a bark.
• The red-backed salamander has a home range of just
24 meters.
http://www.tnaqua.org/OurAnimals/Amphibians.aspx?gclid=CNL1qPSO_7ICFegWMgodWnEA6A
http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Plethodon&where-species=cinereus

22. Fish
• Cold-blooded
• Live in water
• Have scales
• Breathe using gills
Courtesy of Clip Art

23. Fish cannot control how close they are to the
surface of the water – they must depend on
the waves to bring them deeper or shallower.
True or False?

24. False!
Fish control their level of depth by inflating or
deflating their air bladder, which allows them
to float (when inflated) or sink.

25. Michigan fish:
• Rainbow trout
• Bluegill
• Large-mouth bass
• Northern pike
Other interesting fish:
• The Sharpnose Puffer inflates itself to appear
larger and more formidable.
• The Mushroom Scorpionfish is covered in
venomous spines.
http://www.seasky.org/reeflife/sea2h.html