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ANIMAL LIFE
ANIMAL LIFE
Written by: Richard Walker Consultant: Kim Bryan
Diversity
Life Animal kingdom Classification Invertebrates Vertebrates Skeletons Symmetry Life spans Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibians Fish Echinoderms Crustaceans Arachnids Insects Mollusks
6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42
44 46 48 50
Life skills
Respiration Feeding Movement Speed Maintenance Senses Vision Hearing Smell and taste Communication Defenses Camouflage
52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76
3
Habitats Homes In the dark
Warnings Competition Instinct Learning Male and female Courtship Eggs Life histories Parental care
78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94
Ecosystems Food webs Time out Migration Life in the extreme Partnerships Colonies Parasites Alien species New varieties
104 106 108 110 112 114 116 118 120 122
Lifestyles
96 98 100 102
Contents
SAVANNA WILDLIFE
At a waterhole in the African savanna, giraffes, zebras, birds, and other thirsty animals gather to drink. These creatures are a tiny sample of the enormous variety of animals found worldwide.
Diversity
7
LIFE
From microscopic bacteria to massive blue whales, planet Earth is populated by a spectacular variety of life. But, despite their obvious differences, all living things share certain common features. They all obtain energy, grow, respond to their surroundings, and reproduce things that nonliving objects, such as rocks, cannot do. Scientists divide life-forms into five distinct groups called kingdoms. Each has its own features, as you can see here. BACTERIA These are the tiniest, most abundant, and most widespread life-forms. Bacteria consist of single cells that, despite being simpler than those in other organisms, work in the same basic ways. Some take in food from their surroundings, while others make their own, using sunlight or other sources of energy.
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