Lesson Topics

1 | Vertebrates

2 | Mammals

3 | Birds

4 | Reptiles

5 | Amphibians

6 | Fish

7 | Summary

Lesson Summary

• Vertebrates are animals with a backbone made up of vertebrae, which protects the spinal column.

• The five main vertebrate groups are:

• Mammals

• Birds

• Reptiles

• Amphibians

• Fish

• Mammals:

• Are endothermic

• Possess body hair

• Reproduce internally, giving birth to live young (except for monotremes)

• Feed young with milk

• Breathe using lungs that contains thousands of tiny air sacs

• Mammals include placental mammals, marsupials and monotremes.

• Birds

• Are endothermic

• Are covered in feathers

• Possess wings and a beak, but no teeth

• Reproduce internally, laying hard-shelled eggs

• Breathe using lungs consisting of tubes connected to air sacs

• Reptiles:

• Are ectothermic

• Are covered in scales

• Have simple, sharp teeth

• Reproduce internally, usually laying soft-shelled eggs

• Breathe using lungs that have a folded structure

• Amphibians:

• Are ectothermic

• Are covered in skin which needs to be kept moist

• Reproduce externally, laying unfertilised eggs in water

• Undergo a metamorphosis from a larval stage, which lives in water, to an adult stage, which lives out of water.

• Breath using gills in their larval stage and simple lungs in their adult stage; adults can also breathe through their skin

• Fish:

• Are ectothermic

• Are covered in scales, except for jawless fish

• Usually possess a swim bladder

• Usually reproduce externally, releasing unfertilised eggs into water

• Breathe using gills

• Fish include jawless fish, cartilaginous fish and bony fish.

• 
  

  Vertebrate Group	Temperature	Body Covering	Reproduction	Breathing	Other Features
  Mammals	Endothermic	Hair	Internal (live young)	Lungs	Feed milk to young
  Birds	Endothermic	Feathers	Internal (hard-shelled eggs)	Lungs	Wings and beak, no teeth
  Reptiles	Ectothermic	Scales	Internal (soft-shelled eggs)	Lungs	Simple, sharp teeth
  Amphibians	Ectothermic	Skin	External	Larvae: gills Adults: lungs	Larval stage in water, adult stage on land
  Fish	Ectothermic	Scales	External	Gills	Swim bladder

Summary of the vertebrate animal groups

(Header image: John, Adobe Stock)