ANIMALS WITH BACKBONES:

THE VERTEBRATES
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

 identify each group of vertebrates and their

characteristics (mammals, birds, reptiles,
amphibians and fishes)
 classify animals into different groups of
vertebrates
1. I live in water and I have gills for breathing. My body is covered
with scales and I have fins that help me move and keep my
balance. Who am I?

2. I spend part of my life in water and part of my life on land. I have

gills for breathing and they will soon be replaced by a pair of
lungs as I grow older. Who am I?

3. People are afraid of me. I have lungs as the main organ of

respiration and I have dry scaly skin.

4. I have wings that enable me to fly. My skeleton is made up of

strong but light bones. I have legs for walking or running.

5. I am fond of eating grass. I feed my young with milk. I have lungs

for respiration and four legs for walking or running.
 Did you guess the riddles correctly? What do
you think the five animals have in common?

 The fish, frog, snake, bird and cow have

backbones. All animals with backbones are
called VERTEBRATES. Find out more about
the different subgroups of vertebrates and
their characteristics.
 Hello kids! I am Mr. Kangaroo. I belong to the
group of mammals. Mammals have fur or hair
and mammary glands. Actually, our group
name originated from the word mammary
although only the females produce milk and
feed their youngs. Most of us mammals are
developed inside our mothers womb.
 Hi there boys and girls! I am Henny, a hen. I
belong to the group of birds. You think of birds
as fliers, don’t you? However, I seldom fly.
Bird’s body is covered with feathers. Our feet
are used for scratching the grounds, perching
on trees or swimming in the water.
 Hi guys! I am Mr. Crocodile. I belong to the
group of reptiles. I have lungs as the main
organ of respiration. I also have legs to move
on land. My dry and scaly skin is useful to
reduce the evaporation of water from my body.
 Do you know me? I am Nemo. I belong to the
fish group. Among the vertebrates, only us
breathe through gills. We all live in water. Our
body is covered with scales which are suited for
our aquatic environment and our eyes are
always open.
 What’s up kids? I’m Mr. Froggy, a frog. I belong
to the group of amphibians. We usually spend
part of our lives in water and part on land. We
hibernate in cold weather by burrowing in the
ground or mud. Young amphibians breathe by
means of gills but adults develop lungs in order
to live on land
 Direction: Make 5 diagrams like the one below in
your notebook. Fill the empty boxes with the
different characteristics of the 5 subgroups of
vertebrates.
 Mammals
 Birds
 Reptiles
 Fishes
 amphibians
 Classify the following animals based on the
information given about the 5 subgroups of
vertebrates.
crocodile maya tiger
monkey pig frog
tilapia monitor lizard horse
alligator woodpecker goat
READ AND LEARN MORE
 Animals with backbones are called vertebrates. There are
five subgroups of vertebrates namely mammals, fishes,
amphibians, reptiles and birds.

 Fishes live in water and take air and food from their
surroundings. They have gills for breathing. Reproduction is
either done by internal or external fertilization of the egg.
Internal fertilization occurs in a female reproductive tract.
The sperm cell enters the female body to meet the egg cell
to produce living organisms. External fertilization occurs
when the sperm cell and egg cell unite without physical
contact with the mate. The union of the egg cell and sperm
sell occurs outside the body of the animal
 Amphibians have moist, smooth skin that must remain
moist in order to survive. Their moist skin allows
exchange of gases. They have strong legs for walking,
leaping and swimming. The male amphibians fertilize
the eggs laid by the female amphibians; thus,
fertilization is external.
 Reptiles are terrestrial animals. They have no lungs as
the main organ of respiration. They have legs to move
on land. Reproduction begins with the internal
fertilization similar to the mammals and birds.
 Mammals represent the most advanced group.
They all have fur or hair and mammary glands.
Mammary are usually born wholly formed. They
develop inside the mother’s womb.
 Birds are usually fliers, however, chicken seldom
fly. Some cannot fly at all like ostrich and
penguins. The body of birds is covered with
feathers. Their bodies are suited for their flight and
they have hallowed bones that keep them light.
 I LEARNED THAT:
 Animals with backbones are called vertebrates.

 Vertebrates are divided into five subgroups: mammals, fishes,

amphibians, reptiles and birds.

 Fishes are cold-blooded animals. Among the vertebrates only the fishes
breath through gills instead of lungs.

 Reptiles are cold-blooded animals with dry, scaly skin. They usually creep
or crawl.

 Amphibians are cold blooded animals. Young amphibians breathe by means of gills but adult
amphibians develop lungs so that they can live on lands.

 Birds are warm-blooded animals. Most birds have horny beak. Others have beaks of various shapes
which adapted to the kind of food they eat.

There are different animals below. Identify if the
animal is a mammal, fish, reptile, amphibian or
bird. Write the answers in your notebook.
1.Crocodile 6. bangus
2. Rooster 7. mouse
3. Snake 8. alligator
4. Elephant 9.maya
5. Fish 10. toad
 Make a flow chart like the one below in your
notebook. Complete the first column of boxes
with the five (5) subgroups of vertebrates and
the third column with their characteristics.
Vertebrates Characteristics

1. mammals

2. birds

3. reptiles

4. amphibians

5. fishes
Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if it is incorrect. Do it in your notebook.

_____1. Mammals have dry and scaly skin.

_____2. Reptiles breath by means of gills.

_____3. Female amphibians lay their eggs in water or in very moist places on land.

_____4. Fishes are cold blooded animals.

_____5. Mammals have fur or hair and mammary glands .

_____6. The eyes of most birds are located at the sides of the head.

_____7. Birds are cold-blooded animals.

_____8. Cold-blooded means their blood temperature stays at relatively the

same level.

_____9. Amphibians have gills but they develop lungs as they grow old.

_____10. Reproduction among fishes is either done by internal or external

fertilization of the egg.
 Classify the following animals into 5 subgroups
of vertebrate. Write their names or draw the
animals in the specific column below.
mammals reptiles birds amphibians fishes

 Monkey dog alligator

 Parrot cat tiger
 Turtle lion zebra