What characteristics do vertebrates have?

Activity 1
Look at the pictures and classify the animals into
vertebrate or invertebrate.

Activity 2
Compare the spider and the lion: legs, body,
covering…
Types of vertebrates
 Mammals
1. Main body parts
• They have a neck that joins the head to the trunk. The tail is an extension
of the spinal column.
• They have four limbs.
• Terrestrial animals (live on land or underground)  legs
• Aquatical animals (live in oceans and seas)  fins
• Aerial animals (can fly)  wings
• Their bodies are covered with hair or fur.
• They have teeth.
• They have mammary glands to produce milk for their children.
 Mammals
2. Main functions
• Respiration: they use lungs to breathe.
• Nutrition: they feed on different things
• Carnivores eat meat.
• Insectivores eat insects.
• Herbivores eat grass and plants.
• Granivores eat seeds.
• Omnivores eat all of it.

• Reproduction: fertilisation takes place in the mother’s womb. They are

viviparous and babies feed on their mother’s milk.
• Interaction: they are warm-blooded so they can keep their body
temperature constant.
Activity 3
Choose a mammal and complete the table
below and then write a paragraph about it.
 Birds
1. Main body parts
• Their body is aerodynamic (adapted for flight). Their neck is sometimes
long.
• They have four limbs.
• Back limbs are called legs.
• Font limbs are called wings.
• Their body is covered with feathers.
• Their bones are hollow so they can fly more easily.
• They have a beak but no teeth.
• They have less organs to be light while flying. They have ear holes instead
of ears.
 Birds
2. Main functions
• Respiration: they use lungs to breathe.
• Nutrition: the shape of a bird’s beak depends on the food it eats.
• Reproduction: they are oviparous because they lay eggs.
• Interaction: they are warm-blooded so they can keep their body
temperature constant.
 Birds’ beaks

buzzard swallow heron duck cock

Buzzard: strong, curved beak to catch its prey and tear the flesh.
Swallow: short beak to capture insects in flight.
Heron: long, pointed beak to fish in shallow water.
Duck: wide, flat beak to filter water to obtain food.
Cock: strong, short beak to open the grain to feed itself.
Activity 4
Choose a bird and complete the table below and
then write a paragraph about it.
Activity 5
Although all birds have wings, a few species
can’t fly. Why can’t some birds fly?

penguin steamer duck ostrich kiwi kakapo emu

Most birds can fly fecause they have light bones, strong legs and especially shaped
wings. Some birds don’t fly because they don’t have wings or are too big to fly.
Others developed other parts like legs or necks and they adapted to the places and
they didn’t have to migrate. They stopped flying because they no longer needed to
fly to escape danger.
 Reptiles
1. Main characteristics
• Most of them are terrestrial but some spend a lot of time in the water.
• Reptiles have 4 legs, except .
• Their dry skin is covered with scales to keep them warm. Some of them
have a shell.
 Reptiles
2. Main functions
• Respiration: they use lungs to breathe.
• Nutrition: they are carnivore. They have teeth to capture their prey.
• Reproduction: they are oviparous because they lay eggs but they don’t
incubate them.
• Interaction: they are cold-blooded so they cannot regulate their body
temperature. Their temperature depends on the environment.
Activity 5
Choose a reptile and complete the table below
and then write a paragraph about it.
 Amphibians
1. Main characteristics
• They are born in water but adults are terrestrial.
• They have 4 legs.
• Their skin is moist and has no covering.
• Some of them have got glands that produce poison.
• They undergo metamorphosis. As a result, the adults don’t look like the
young.
 Amphibians
2. Main functions
• Respiration: they use lungs and skin to breathe.
• Nutrition: they are carnivore. They eat insects, spiders, snails, etc.
• Reproduction: they are oviparous since they lay eggs.
• Interaction: they are cold-blooded so they cannot regulate their body
temperature, so they don’t usually live in cold places.
• https://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/ABOUT-AMPHIBIANS
Activity 6
Choose an amphibian and complete the table
below and then write a paragraph about it.
 Fish
1. Main characteristics
• They are aquatic, so they live in fresh or salt water.
• Their bones are softer than mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
• They are fusiform: their body is wider in the middle than at the ends.
• Their limbs are called fins.
• They are covered with scales.
• They have a lateral line system that dectects vibrations.
 Fish
2. Main functions
• Respiration: they use gills to obtain oxygen from water. They don’t have
lungs.
• Nutrition: they are carnivore. They eat planctum, other fish and
crustaceans.
• Reproduction: they are oviparous since they lay eggs.
• Interaction: they are cold-blooded so they cannot regulate their body
temperature.
Activity 7
Choose a fish and complete the table below and
then write a paragraph about it.

Use this website to choose and write about a fish.

 Resources
• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals
/mammals/g/giraffe/

• https://www.dkfindout.com/us/animals-and-
nature/fish/