Aquatic Vertebrates & Invertebrates

Contents

Aquatic Vertebrates...............................................................................................pg3
Fish............................................................................................................................pg4
Amphibians..............................................................................................................pg5
Reptiles.....................................................................................................................pg6
Mammals..................................................................................................................pg7
Birds...........................................................................................................................pg8
Aquatic Invertebrates..............................................................................................pg9
Poriferans.................................................................................................................pg10
Cnidarians.................................................................................................................pg11
Echinoderms...........................................................................................................pg12
Mollusk......................................................................................................................pg13
Annelids....................................................................................................................pg14
Arthropods...............................................................................................................pg15
Glossary....................................................................................................................pg16
Sources.....................................................................................................................pg17

Aquatic Vertebrates

What are aquatic vertebrates? Aquatic vertebrates are animals that HAVE a backbone/spinal column. There are 5 main classes which include fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. The aquatic species can breathe oxygen from both the air and the water. Being able to breathe in the water is what prevents them from drowning. Examples of fish are lionfish, swordfish, and jawless fish. Examples of amphibians are toads, eels, and salamanders. Examples of reptiles are alligators, snakes, and turtles. Examples of mammals are dolphins, giraffes, and spotted hyenas. Examples of Birds are Bald eagles, flamingos, and ostriches.

Fish

What are fish? Fish are limbless cold-blooded vertebrates. They are usually found in every aquatic habitat. They also have adapted to the different kinds of habitats like rocky shores, coral reefs, kelp forest, rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, under sea ice, the deep sea, and other environments of fresh, salt, and brackish water. There are about 33,600 different species but there could be more in the undiscovered depths of the ocean. Fish are a scaly-skinned vertebrate that swims in water and breathes using its gills. Fish have a skeleton with a spine. Most fish have a skeleton made from done, just like amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. But sharks and rays have a skeleton made of fish flaps and use their tail to swim through water. Instead of legs, they have fins to help them stay up and to be able to steer. The fins are supported by bony rays and covered in the skin without scales.

amphibians

What are amphibians? Amphibians can breathe and absorb water through their very thin skin. They also have special skin glands that produce useful proteins. Some of the amphibians are poisonous like the poison dart frog and the golden poison frog. There are over 6,000 species of amphibians like frogs and salamanders. Frogs aren't like other animals, when they eat they swallow it whole. Frogs also cannot live in saltwater the salinity in frog's blood and cells aren't as densely packed as it is in saltwater. If a frog lived in salt water, the water would spread over them. Adult red salamanders don't have lungs. They breathe through their skin and the lining of their mouths. Red salamanders are bright red when they are young, but their color fades as they get older.

Reptiles

What are reptiles? Reptiles are a vertebrate animal of a class that includes snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and tortoises. They are distinguished by having dry scaly skin and typically laying soft-shelled eggs on land. Reptiles are tetrapod animals in the class or clade Reptilia. As a class in Linnean taxonomy, reptilia refers to a paraphyletic grouping comprising all amniotes except synapsids and Aves. The class Reptilia comprises turtles, crocodilians, snakes, amphisbaenians, lizards, tuatara, and their extinct relatives. Reptiles have been around for 320 million years even more actually. Reptiles are air-breathing vertebrates covered in special skin made up of scales, bony plates, or a combination of both. Reptiles all regularly shed the outer layer of their skin. Their metabolism depends on the temperature of their environment.

Mammals

What are mammals? Mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates. You can easily identify a mammal by seeing if they have fur/hair. Female mammals are able to produce milk to feed their children. Human beings are also considered mammals because we have the same mammal traits. There are over 6,496 species of mammals. All mammals (apart from the duck-billed platypus) give birth to live babies, which are then fed on their mother's milk. Most mammals give their young more protection and training than other animals do. Mammals have larger and more developed brains than other animals so that means they are highly intelligent. They also have several different kinds of teeth which help them process their food.

Birds

What are birds? Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates. The main characteristic of a bird is feathers. No other animal has feathers. Other important features for birds are wings and hollow bones. Birds also lay eggs, like reptiles, however, they are warm-blooded, like mammals. There are more than 10,000 different species of birds in the world. Most hummingbirds weigh less than a nickel. The chicken is the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Many birds kept as pets, including doves, parakeets, and lovebirds, enjoy living in pairs for companionship. The smallest bird egg belongs to the hummingbird and is the size of a pea.