Colegio Inmaculado Corazn de Mara - Portaceli

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
April 2017 1E.S.O. Fundacin
Animals Loyola

Name.......................................................................................N...... Section:................

1. INVERTEBRATES - GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Invertebrates do not have a backbone.They are the largest animal group and account
for approximately 95% of all animal species on Earth. Jellyfish, sponges, worms,
spiders, starfish and butterflies are all invertebrates.
Invertebrates live all over the world in different habitats (marine, freshwater, terrestrial
and underground). Some are sessile while others are free-living.

1.1. An invertebrates body structure

- Many invertebrates have an external skeleton or exoskeleton. This protects them,

gives them shape and keeps them from drying out. Others either have an internal
skeleton (starfish) or a soft body with no skeleton (earthworms).
- Invertebrates have three basic types of body symmetry

bilateral symmetry radial symmetry asymmetrical body

 Colegio Inmaculado Corazn de Mara - Portaceli
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
April 2017 1E.S.O. Fundacin
Animals Loyola

1.2. Vital functions of invertebrates

- NUTRITION. Invertebrates can be carnivorous, herbivorous, omnivorous, filter-

feeders, parasites, active predators, scavengers or even saprotophs. Their
respiration can be through the skin, gills, tracheas or lungs.

- REPRODUCTION. Most invertebrates reproduce sexually. They normally have

separated sexes, but some of them are hermaphrodites (they have both male
and female reproductive organs). They are mostly oviparous. A few
invertebrates reproduce asexually by fragmentation or gemmation. Some, such
as starfish, are also able to regenerate lost body parts.

- INTERACTION. An invertebrates nervous system and sense organs are usually

much simpler than the ones found in vertebrates. Despite this, invertebrates vary
greatly in their complexity

KEYWORDS
invertebrate Animals without a backbone

habitat The natural environment of an organism

sessile Permanently attached, freely moving

skeleton The bones of a human or an animal considered

as a whole

omnivorous eating all kind of food

(to) regenerate to renew or restore

 Colegio Inmaculado Corazn de Mara - Portaceli
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
April 2017 1E.S.O. Fundacin
Animals Loyola

Fill in the missing words

Invertebrates are animals without a ____________________. Most of

the animals of the world are _________________________. They can
live in all kinds of ___________________ and they have different
_____________________. Many of them have an external
____________________ which protects them and keeps them from
___________ _______. The shape of invertebrates have three different
types of symmetry: ___________________, ___________________ and
________________.