Animal Types

feathers

most can fly

wings instead of front legs

lay eggs

warm-blooded

Birds

scales

live in water

gills for breathing

most lay eggs

cold-blooded

Fish

fur or hair

warm-blooded

live young

care for young

lungs to breathe

Mammal

moist skin

on land and in water

lay eggs in water

swim and breathe in water as babies

develop lungs and legs and live on land

​​Amphibian

Types of Animals

Reptile

scales

some have plates

most lay eggs on land

some have live young

do not care for young

cold-blooded

These animals have a backbone made up of individual bones called vertebrates.

Vertebrates

Body temperature is controlled by their body system not by the temperature of their surroundings.

Warm-blooded

Some, like whales, only have a few hairs on their body.

Hair or Fur

Nurse their babies with milk they make.

Give better and longer care to their babies.

Care for young

Meet the Mammals

Well-developed brains

Learn through experience and can solve problems.

Multiple Choice

A platypus' young hatch from eggs. She nurses and cares for them for several months.

• mammal

• not a mammal

Multiple Choice

A fish is covered with scales.

The fish's temperature is 65 degrees,

the same as the water.

• mammal

• not a mammal

Multiple Choice

This gorilla was taught human sign language to communicate with humans.

• mammal

• not a mammal

Multiple Choice

This sea turtle lays her eggs in sand. Then she returns to the ocean and never comes back.

• mammal

• not a mammal

Multiple Choice

This cat has a normal body temperature of 102 degrees. The air around it is 82 degrees.

• mammal

• not a mammal

Multiple Choice

This sheep has a backbone.

Its body is covered with wool.

• mammal

• not a mammal

Mammal Meals

Food supplies mammals with the energy to carry out their activities and stay alive. The types of food mammals eat vary.

Most mammals (including elephants, giraffes, beaver, deer, and horses)

are HERBIVORES, OR PLANT EATERS.

Lions, wolves, and similar mammals are CARNIVORES, OR MEAT EATERS.

Humans, bears and racoons are OMNIVORES, THEY EAT BOTH PLANTS AND MEAT.

Mammal Meals (continued)

At times when food is scarce, mammals MIGRATE, OR TRAVEL TO FIND FOOD. Gray whales leave their home in Arctic waters and spend summers in Baja, California where food is plentiful.

Some HERBIVORE MAMMALS ( like desert ground squirrels) ESTIVATE, OR GO TO SLEEP DURING HOT, DRY SEASONS WHEN PLANTS DIE. When they sleep, they conserve energy and don't need food.

Some CARNIVORE MAMMALS (like woodchuck) HIBERNATE, OR GO TO SLEEP DURING COLD SEASONS WHEN FOOD IS LIMITED.