In science we are currently studying Animal Structure and Function
Chapter 2A
1. How are animals alike and different?
Scientists groups animals into two large groups--animals without backbones and animals without backbones.
Animals without backbones have many different sizes, shapes, and body parts.
Insects and other animals with jointed legs have different numbers of legs and body parts.
2. How do animals with backbones vary?
Fish and amphibians are animals that have backbones add spend all or part of their lives on water.
Reptiles are animals with backbones that have dry, scaly skin and reproduce by laying eggs or giving birth to live young.
Birds are warm-blooded animals that have backbones and feathers covering their bodies.
Mammals are animals with backbones that have hair and feed milk to their young. Most mammals give birth to live young and care for their young.
3. What characteristics do animals get from their parents?
Baby animals inherit certain traits from their parents but can differen in color; kind of hair, and other characteristics.
Instincts are inborn behaviors that animals get from their parents.
Some behaviors that animals learn are responses to stiumuli, hunting, and hiding to keep safe.
Vocabulary
Backbone the main bone, made up of many small bones joined together, that runs along the middle of the back in some animals
Exoskeleton a hard outer covering that supports and protects some animals without backbones
Molt to shed an animal’s outer covering
Gills organs for breathing found in fish and amphibians
Amphibian one of a large group of animals with backbones that live part of their lives in water and part on land
Reptile an animal with a backbone that has a dry scaly, skin
Mammal an animal with a backbone that usually has hair on its body and feeds milk to its young
Behavior the way a living thing acts
Instinct a behavior that an animal is born with and does not need to learn
Reflex a simple, automatic behavior
Response a behavior caused by a stimulus