Natural Sciences Grade 7 Term 1 Life and

Natural Sciences Grade 7 Term 1: Life and Living Biodiversity (PPT 3)

Topic 2 Biodiversity Diversity of Animals: Vertebrates Natural Sciences – Grade 7

Classifying the Animal Kingdom • Animals can be sorted or classified into two smaller groups: o vertebrates and o invertebrates Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates • Animals with a backbone. • Belong to Phylum Chordata • There are 5 classes of vertebrates: o o o fish amphibians reptiles birds mammals Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: fish • Fish are aquatic. • They are cold-blooded organisms that live in fresh or saltwater. • Fish have gills instead of lungs. • They usually have scales, fins and a tail. Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: fish Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Why is this vehicle called “amphibious”? Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: amphibians • Amphibians are cold-blooded organisms. • They include frogs, toads, newts and caecilians. • Most amphibians have four legs and can live on water and on land. • We say that they are amphibious. • They undergo metamorphosis from a larval stage. Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: amphibians (frog) Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: Reptiles • Reptiles are cold blooded. • They are found in almost every habitat in the world, except for the Antarctic. • They usually have four legs and are covered in scales. • There are some exceptions, e. g. snakes do not have legs and certain lizards do not have legs. Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: Reptiles (lizard) Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: Birds • • Birds are warm blooded organisms that lay eggs. They have feathers, wings and a beak. They have two legs that are covered in scales. Most birds are able to fly, although there are some that cannot fly. • Birds are found in ecosystems across the world. Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: Birds Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: Mammals • Humans belong to the class of mammals. • There are many different types of animals in this group. • They are able to live in almost any habitat. • Some mammals are adapted to walking, some to running, others to flying and some others even to swimming. Natural Sciences - Grade 7

Vertebrates: Mammals (rat) Natural Sciences - Grade 7