This document provides information about vertebrate animals, beginning with their taxonomic classification and then describing key characteristics of major vertebrate groups including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. It outlines defining anatomical features for each group as well as examples of orders, classes, and important vocabulary terms.
1. Vertebrate Animals DOMAIN- Eukarya KINGDOM- Animalia PHYLUM- Chordata SUBPHYLUM- Vertebrata CLASS- 7 different ORDERS- 10 Placental mammals
2. Phylum Chordata Recall that vertebrates are chordates. Phylum Chordata includes the lancelets and tunicates (invertebrate chordates) as well as the vertebrates All chordates have:
3. Characteristics of all Vertebrates Endoskeleton with a backbone for support of a dorsal nerve cord & muscle attachment Distinct skull/cephalization Bilateral symmetry 2 pairs of jointed appendages Coelom Closed circulatory system & chambered heart
28. Lateral line - a row of microscopic organs sensitive to pressure changes, can detect low frequency vibrations.
29. Swim bladder – internal, air-filled sac that acts as an organ for buoyancy in bony fish; sharks have oils in their livers to help them remain buoyant
30. Scale – small, platelike structure covering an organism (or parts of an organism); sharks, fish, reptiles, and birds all have different types of scales
31. Fin – paired appendage found on fish used for locomotion and steering
33. External fertilization – release of gametes to the environment where fertilization takes place; bony fish
34. Internal fertilization – deposition of sperm in the female reproductive tract where fertilization takes place; sharks
35. Hermaphrodite – some organisms are capable of producing both male and female gametes; few are capable of self-fertilization; most exchange sperm; evolutionary adaptation for solitary and slow-moving or sessile organisms
36. Ovoviviparous = eggs are fertilized inside the parent and hatch inside the parent and are born liveOviparous = eggs are laid in a nest or in the ground and hatch Viviparous = internal fertilization with live born young (as soon as the egg is fertilized, it becomes an embryo and develops as a fetus).
43. Evolution of Gnathostomes – the jawed fishes Gills are supported by cartilage or bone. Some of these gill supports became other structures, including the jaws and inner ear bones of other vertebrates.
60. Aquatic tetrapods gave rise to the first amphibians, who probably came on land in search of food (abundant plant and arthropod species in Devonian)
61. Amphibian Vocabulary Ectotherm – organism that must gain (or lose) heat from the environment to maintain body temperature; metabolism is NOT sufficient to heat the body; most invertebrates, fish, amphibians, & reptiles Endotherm – organism that maintains a stable body temperature through metabolism; few reptiles, most birds and mammals, insects Metamorphosis – change from a sexually immature stage to a sexually mature stage in the life cycle; involves change in body structure and niche; ex) tadpoles are herbivorous, aquatic larvae with gills and no limbs that change into carnivorous, terrestrial adult frogs with lungs and 4 limbs Tetrapod – vertebrate with 4 limbs located in pectoral and pelvic girdles Lungs – internal respiratory organs that exchange gases across a membrane surface, usually in conjunction with the circulatory system Cloaca – common opening to the outside of the body through which fecal material, nitrogenous waste and gametes pass; common to amphibians, reptiles, and birds
71. Reptile Vocabulary Amniotic egg – adaptation to terrestrial life that results in a water-proof egg with extra-embryonic membranes that aid in the vital functions of a living organism Extinct – all members of a species have died; ex) pterosaurs Extant – members of a species are still alive Bask – behavioral adaptation of ectotherms to increase body heat; involves moving to locations where more radiant energy (such as from the sun or warm rocks) is available for absorption
72. Amniotic egg in reptiles - note leathery shell characteristic of reptilian eggs
79. Nitrogenous waste is a paste rather than a liquid for water conservation; uric acid
80.
81. Loss of legs is unique to snakes within the reptiles; remnants of pelvic girdles present in boas, as are external claws on the abdomen
82. many have unique adaptations for life as predators
83. Jacobson’s organ – when a snake flicks its tongue it is collecting molecules that are then brought in to Jacobson’s organ for “processing”; kind of a combined sense of taste and smell
84. Pits – many snakes have heat sensory organs on their head that gives an IR picture of an organism, decreasing dependency on vision
85. Hollow fangs – with or without poison glands for capturing, holding, and killing prey
92. Bird Vocabulary Feather – modified scale used for flight and insulation (contour and down) Keel – sternum modified for flight muscle attachment Ratite – flightless birds Beak – adaptation to the diet of a bird; cranial structure used for feeding and defense Air sac – pocket attached to the lungs that aid the bird in maintaining constant air flow into the lungs, allowing for flight at high altitudes and greater muscle use Preen gland - gland located on the base of the tail, especially in aquatic birds, that produces oil for waterproofing the feathers Crop – portion of esophagus used for temporary storage of food Gizzard – chamber of the stomach for grinding food
113. Aquatic birds have preen gland to keep their feathers from becoming saturated, impeding flight
114. Most birds are passeriformes – perching birds, including jays, swallows, sparrows, and warblers (see pp. 790 & 91 in your text for more groups of birds)Bird courtship and mating behaviors are an evolutionary adaptation unique to each species Many other groups of birds, including birds of prey, marine birds, seed eaters, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, etc
115. Mammal Vocabulary Mammary gland – gland adapted to produce protein and fat rich nutrition for offspring during early development Hair – keratinous growth for insulation, camouflage, and display; made of same material as reptilian scales and bird feathers Fat – layer of connective tissue for insulation and padding; energy reserve Diaphragm – sheet of muscle separating thoracic and abdominal cavities used in respiration Monotreme – mammal that lays eggs Marsupial – mammal with young that finish developing in a pouch Marsupium – pouch in a marsupial Placental – mammal whose young develop in a uterus attached to a placenta Uterus – muscular organ that houses the fetus until birth Placenta – extraembryonic tissues that develop as a connection between the circulatory system of the mother and that of the developing fetus Dentition – tooth pattern; varies with diet; ex) reptilian dentition is characteristically uniform conical teeth for capturing prey, mammalian dentition varies significantly (carnivores, herbivores, insectivores, baleen, omnivores)
128. 3 categories of mammals 1. Monotremes - mammals that lay eggs, have hair, and produce milk with mammary glands - mother produces milk which is excreted from glands on the abdomen and the babies lap up the milk or suck it off the fur of the mother Echidna and platypus Platypus has a cartilaginous bill used to find food on the bottom of a pond or river. Males have poisonous spurs on their hind feet for defense Platypi store fat in their beaver-like tails
129. Marsupials - embryo develops in a uterus with a placenta Immature fetus is born into a pouch called a marsupium. Young develop in marsupium, attached to a teat, until much more mature. All marsupials live in Australia with the exception of the opossum, which can be found in the Americas.
131. Placentals Placental mammals develop in a uterus attached to a placenta until at a comparably advanced stage of development Widespread on earth – found in every major biome, including marine, arctic, and tundra. Many orders of placental mammals. 10 discussed as follows:
132. Orders of Placental Mammals Rodentia- razor sharp teeth (rats, squirrels) Lagomorpha- fused hind leg bones (rabbits) Chiroptera- flying mammals (bats) Carnivora- eat meat (lions, tigers, wolves) Cetacea- Blow holes to breathe (dolphins, whales) Insectivora- eat insects (moles, shrews, hedgehog) Artiodactyla- even # of toes (cows, sheep, goat, pigs, hippos, camels) Perissodactyla- odd # of toes (horse, zebra, rhino) Proboscidea- trunks (elephants) Primates- opposable thumbs (apes, monkeys, humans)
133. Order Primates Prosimians – lorises, lemurs, tarsiers Monkeys – New World Old World Prehensile tails
