Animal Study Guide

Unit Essential Questions:

How do animal structures (characteristics/features) help them survive and grow
in their environments?

Essential Questions:
1. How can you classify animals?
2. What are some special animal body parts that help them survive?
3. What are some animal life cycles?
4. How do plants and animals interact in their habitat?
5. How can animals (including humans) change their habitat?
6. How do animals survive in distinct habitats?
7. How do animals respond to changes in their habitat?

Animal Classification:

Insects: have antennae, three body parts, six legs (and usually wings)
Fish: have fins, live in water, breathe through gills
Amphibians: live both on land and in water, have moist skin and no
scales, lay eggs in water, young breathe with gills before developing lungs
as adults
Reptiles: have scales or rough, dry skin
Birds: have a beak or bill, feathers, wings, lay eggs
Mammals: have fur or hair, usually give birth to live young, can nurse their
young with milk

Animals Characteristics (special body parts that they use to survive)

Seeing: eyes for finding food or for seeing other animals that may attack
Hearing: ears of different sizes that allow them to hear approaching
danger
Grasping objects: hands for holding food or branches
Obtain food and other resources: specialized structures include beaks/bills,
mouths, teeth, claws
Protection: quills, claws, wings, spraying (skunks), camouflage
Movement: above ground (swinging, climbing, flying), on the ground
(crawling, running, hopping), or in the water (floating, swimming, diving)

Animal Life Cycles

Birth and stages of development during an organism's lifespan that ends
with death
Animals are born two ways; hatch from eggs or live from mother
Stages of development differ; some animals resemble their parents, others
look different and go through considerable changes
Exceptions; some animal species within a group may hatch from eggs or
give live birth that is different from most of the species
Animal Habitats
Animal and plant interaction; plants produce oxygen, that animals need
for breathing and animals produce carbon dioxide that plants need to
make food
Animal/human impact on habitat; cutting down trees, building dams,
using chemicals
Animal response to changes in environment; number of animals, food
availability, impact of temperature (hibernation), rainfall, and vegetation
Survival in distinct environments
ocean; a large body of salt water; whales have blubber (fat) to
keep warm, sharks have fins, gills, and very sharp teeth, animals in
the deepest levels can survive without light
freshwater; rivers and lakes provide homes to trees, plants, fish,
insects, turtles, birds
deserts; animals have structures that help with shortage of water,
extreme temperature changes, and food shortage, animals can
get water from food they eat and dig burrows to stay cool
forests; animals eat the plants and use trees for shelter, adapt to the
distinct seasons like hibernating in the winter, use camouflage to
blend in their environment
rainforest; warm, wet and humid with many plants and
animals
wetlands; very shallow water or wet soil most of the time like
swamps and marshes, beaver has a waterproof coat, closes its nose
and ears to prevent water from entering while using its wide, flat tail
and webbed feet for swimming
polar lands; polar bears have thick coats to keep warm in the very
cold temperatures, deep snow and long, dark winters, penguins
have wings that work like fins in the water