Amphibians

Which animal did you think we were going to see today? Today we're going to discover all about amphibians, like this one....

Most amphibians live part of their life in water and a good portion of it on land. Some breathe through gills, like fish do. They need water to survive because of their non-waterproof skin. Some can exist on land but many must return to water, especially to lay eggs.
Amphibians are carnivorous, which means that they eat meat. There are more than 5,000 species arranged in three distinct groups which are....

Frogs and Toads...

Newts and Salamanders......

and finally these strange looking animals called caecilians.......

Amphibians are a fundamental part of the Great Food Chain of Life. Yet, amphibians have managed to survive for millions of years. Imitating poisonous species can help keep them alive and some protect themselves by biting. While they may not have special weapons like claws or sharp teeth to defend themselves, they do have slippery, quick moving bodies and a very shy, quiet nature.

Click on this link to discover more about these funny looking animals

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/amphibians/

Would you like to see the life cycle of a frog. Watch this video and discover how different babies are from adults....

Well, now we've learnt lots of interesting things click on this link and discover lots of fun games all about amphibians...

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/animal_and_nature_games/amphibian-games/SC_spelling_salamander.html

Tomorrow we're going to discover lots about a group of animals with fins. Do you know which animal group it is?

Reptiles

Today we´re going to discover all about reptiles like this one.....

There are more than 6,800 reptile species on earth; the major groups are alligators and crocodiles, turtles, lizards, and snakes. All reptiles are cold-blooded, which is why they warm themselves in the sun, and have bodies covered in dry, horny scales. Reptiles lay eggs like these... can you guess which animal these eggs come from?

They're crocodile eggs. Let's see what they look like when they hatch......

Would you like to see how they hatch? Watch this video and discover what they look like when they're born....



Well... today we've learnt some useful information about reptiles. Would you like to learn some more? Click on this link and discover lots more information all about these scaly animals..

http://www.reptilechannel.com/reptile-fun/default.aspx

Tommorow we're going to learn more about another group of vertebrate animals. Some of them look like this when they're babies....

Can you guess which animals they are?

Birds

Did you guess correctly? Today we're going to talk about birds like this one .....

So... what's a bird?
Do you know what makes a bird different from other animals........
Is it the pretty colours?

NO!..... other animals, like fish and insects, come in all sorts of beautiful colours too.
Is it their bill or beak?

NO! ..... other animals, like the duck billed platypus (a mammal), have bills too.
Is it the eggs?

NO! ...... other animals, like fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects and even some mammals, hatch from eggs as well.
Is it the wings.......



No...... other animals, like insects and some mammals, have wings.
Then what is it .........



FEATHERS!!!!!!

All birds have feathers and birds are the only animals that do!
Feathers do many jobs for birds. Soft down keeps them warm, wing feathers allow flight and tail feathers are used for steering.
The colour of the feathers can be used to hide the bird or make it attractive to other birds.

So now you know how to tell which animals are birds and which are not let's watch a fun video about ......... feathers



So.... would you like to learn more about birds? Click on this link to discover more about these vertebrate animals.....

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/

Tommorow we're going to discover another animal group, I'm going to give you a clue and let's see if you can guess which vertebrate group it is....

Vertebrate classification

Today we're going to discover how vertebrate animals are classified. There are 5 groups of vertebrate animals which are...

MAMMALS



AMPHIBIANS

BIRDS

FISH



REPTILES



Each animal group has different characteristics. Click on this link and discover more about all the different types of vertebrates....

http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/animalindexv.htm

Now, it's time to have some fun and watch this video about lots of different animals...



Tommorrow we're going to discover information about a group of vertebrate animals which are just like me. Do you know which group we're going to see?

Vertebrate or invertebrate?

Did you find the answer? There are many differences between the two animals but the main difference is that the hamster is a vertebrate animal and the fly is an invertebrate animal.

Today we're going to concentrate on vertebrate animals like this one...

This animal is called an otter and it is a vertebrate animal. Vertebrates are the most advanced organisms on Earth. Their main characteristic is their backbone which invertebrate animals do not have....

There are far less species of vertebrates than invertebrate animals. You might be asking why. One reason is that vertebrates are usually larger than invertebrates. They need more space. Another reason is that, even though they are more advanced, there are many limitations on the environments that are available to them.

Vertebrate animals are smart... they've got more brains than invertebrate animals. Some of them are really smart .... like you!!! There are many types of vertebrate animals which we will soon discover... But first let's watch a video about the differences between vertebrate and invertebrate animals....

So now you know lots about the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates. Our next mission is to discover more about vertebrate animals...

Are all animals the same?

Hello everyone! Today we're going to start our journey through the animal kingdom and our first activity will be to try and discover the answer to this question.... What's the main difference between these two animals?

Would you like some help? Click on this page and see if you can find the answer...

http://kidsnonstop.com/animals/stories/definition_animals_odd_question:_what_animal%3F_0