Topic: Zoology / Animals

Monday
Introduction to taxonomy , classes and mammals – 30 mins
Objectives
 recap how organisms are classified
 learn the different classes of animals
 learn the about mammals
 learn that humans are mammals and why they are
 learn about endangered mammals

     Good morning boys and girls , we’re so glad to be back here with you this morning . This week
we will be looking at zoology . Does anyone know what it is?  It is the study of the behavior,
structure, physiology, classification, and distribution of animals . First we’ll be looking at the
classification of animals but before we look at that we must first recap the classification of all
organisms which Carnilious the zoologist and botanist talked to you about last week. Can you
remember what it is? We’ll give you a hint - king phillip Came Over For Green Soup . yes that’s
right – kingdom – phylum – class- order-family-genus- species

Let’s watch a short video that will help us recap fully the classification and then we will move on
to the animal kingdom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoZUNdOUj9g

  

Kingdom Animalia which is the Latin word for animal is the largest of the five existing kingdoms on
Planet Earth. These 5 kingdom are : Protista (the single-celled eukaryotes); Fungi (fungus and
related organisms); Plantae (the plants); Animalia (the animals); Monera (the prokaryotes)

The animal phylum can be broken down into six classes ; mammals , birds, fish , reptiles and
(insects and arachnids). These can then be group into Vertebrata (animals with backbones) and
invertebrates (animals without backbones).

The five most well known classes of vertebrates are mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and
amphibians. All these animals belong to the phylum chordata. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=4VixROiu8Qg
There are also many types of animals in the animal kingdom without backbones. These animals are
called invertebrates and they belong to the phylum arthropoda (arthropods). Two of the most
commonly known animal classes in this phylum are insects and arachnids (spiders).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr_T4skBYNo

Although vertebrates contain the greatest number of animal classes, invertebrates are the most
common species of animals in the world.

Today we will be focusing the class mammals . A scientist who studies and observes mammals is
called a mammalogist. They observe their habitats, contributions to the ecosystem, their
interactions, and the anatomy and physiology.They are certain qualities or features that an animal
must have in order for them to be considered a mammal . Does anyone know any? Let’s watch
this video for more information

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0RCzj9mYYw

from the video we can see that mammals have the following characteristics: 

1. They are covered with hair or fur. Even though we may not be able to see them.

2. They are warm-blooded (meaning their internal body temperature is maintained at a

constant level regardless of external conditions).

 
3. They are usually born alive and relatively well-developed, having grown inside the
mother’s body in a special organ called a uterus. The time spent developing in the uterus
 before birth is called the gestation period and varies in length from species to species
(from about 13 days in the Virginia opossum to 165 days for a green monkey and even up
to 210 days in the white-tailed deer). 

4. After birth the young are fed with milk that is produced by mammary glands. 

5. They have larger and more complex brains than any other group of animals.

Quick recap questions

1. What five characteristics do mammals have in common? 

Mammals have hair or fur; are warm-blooded; their young grow inside them over a gestation
period ; the young are fed milk produced by the mother’s mammary glands; and they have a more
complex brain than other animals. 

2. How do mammals feed their young? 

Mammals feed their young with milk produced by the mother in special organs called mammary
glands. 

3. Why are mammals described as warm-blooded? 

They maintain a constant internal body temperature, regardless of the outside temperature. 

4. What is a gestation period? 

A gestation period is the length of time a mammal develops and grows inside its mother’s body
before being born. In humans the gestation period is nine months; in dogs it is approximately 60
days; in cows, 280 days; in rabbits, 26-30 days; and in mice, 20- 30 days depending on the species. 

5. Where do mammals grow and develop before they are born? 

Before they are born, mammals grow and develop in the uterus, a special organ in the mother’s
body

 ACTIVITY : 15 mins

Materials

Crayons, paint, or makers

Pencil

Paper

Scissors

String

Or allow parents to print an template from here : https://www.firstpalette.com/craft/printable-

animal-masks.html

After the masks are done replay song and let the children dance like whatever animal they are
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0RCzj9mYYw)

Session 2
Diet - The sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. 
What is the importance of diet? Like humans, livestock animals need a balanced diet
containing all the necessary nutrients, fluids, minerals, and vitamins. Proper nutrition gives
your animals the vigour to grow, develop, and reproduce, and strong immunity to fight off
infections. 

Some mammals consumed different food from us humans. 

They can be classified into 5 distinctive groups; Herbivores, Carnivores, Insectivores,

Omnivores & Frugivores. 

Herbivore Mammals - are animals whose primary food source is plant based like fruits &
vegetables. Examples: Koalas & Horses.

Carnivore Mammals - are animals that eat other animals. Examples: Dog & Alligator 

Insectivore Mammals - are animals that live primarily off insects and other invertebrates
(lacking backbone) like ants, worms, termites and beetles. Examples: Hedgehogs &
Anteaters

Omnivore Mammals - are animals that eat both plant and animal derived foods. Examples:
Bear & Human 

Frugivore Mammals - are animals that thrive mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruits like
produce of plants such as roots, shoots,nuts and seeds. Examples: Maned Wolf & Bomean
Orangutan. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3wN43FUUB0&feature=youtu.be

Habitats 

The natural home or environment of an animal, plant or other organisms.  Do you

remember the habitats we talked about last time we were here? Do quick recap of them .
Examples
1. Whales & Dolphins - Marine Habitat 
2. Green monkeys and mongooses - Forests Habitat 
3. Zebra & Ostrich - Grassland Habitat 
4. Snow leopard & Polar Bear - Tundra Habitat 
Let’s watch a video that will tell us more about habitat https://youtu.be/ZrSWYE37MJs

Activity
Match the mammal to the habitat and food .
And
Activity to explain how mammals stay warm in the cold :
https://carrotsareorange.com/animal-science-experiment/

Does anyone have a favorite mammal? I know most of us have a favorite animal, but does anyone
have a favorite mammal?

Well one of ours, are humans, scientifically termed Homo sapiens.

You do remember that humans are mammals , right ? let’s check to be sure . let’s compare the
traits of other mammals to human. Recap the traits of mammals 1 by one and compare to
humans

Mammals have hair or fur; do humans have hair or fur ? yes we have hair on our heads and our
skin .

are warm-blooded;- yes humans are warm blooded. They are able to
maintain a constant body temperature despite changing environmental temperatures. The normal
body temperature for a human is from 36.5 to 37 C.

their young grow inside them over a gestation period ; the normal gestation period for mammals
are 9 months

the young are fed milk produced by the mother’s mammary glands; mammals feed their young
from their breast
they have a more complex brain than other animals.  The human brain always them to think and
make intelligent decisions , most of the time.

Humans have much in common with other mammals on Earth in terms of physiology but have
most in common with two other living primate species in terms of genes and structure : the
chimpanzee and bonobo. Unlike both primates, humans are more advanced and complex.

Session 3
Scenario: Solve the problem of the Day!

Observation: Aunty Tizelia was checking on her growing plants and she noticed a few tiny brown
insects eating some of her plants but she was not worried. When she came back a couple weeks
later, her plants were still covered in these tiny brown insects but there were ten times more of
them.

Why were there more of them and where did they come from?

There were even more insects a week later because the original insects created more babies
making it more insects on the plants. This is called reproduction!

What is reproduction?

Reproduction is how living organisms like us and other animals create offspring (also known as
young or babies).

How do mammals reproduce?

Mammals reproduce by sexual reproduction through mating. To reproduce, mammals need a male
and a female.

The sperm from the male and fertilizes the egg from the female

The fertilized egg cell splits in half , creating two cells. These cells continue to split and eventually
the cells will form a baby.

The baby will grow inside the female for the length of pregnancy and then the baby is born they
will look like their parent

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZmaC_2-sYo

Activity: Guess the length of the gestation period for each animal species.

- Humans: 9 months
- Elephants: 2 years

- Opossum: 12 days

3 Different Groups of Mammals & Their Mode of Reproduction

Placentals

Their young grow inside the female’s body and are born fully developed.

Monotremes

Their young hatch from eggs.

Marsupials

Their young are born incompletely developed. They are carried and fed in a pouch on the female’s
stomach until they are fully developed.

Activity: List some mammals within each group.

Placentals: Humans, Dogs, Cats, Cattle, Pigs, Elephants

Monotremes: Platypus

Marsupials: Kangaroos, Koalas, Opossum

Side note: Chickens are not monotremes because they are not mammals. They are birds.

There are three (3) main types of mammals:

• Monotremes

• Marsupials

• Placental mammals

Humans are placental mammals because they carry the fetus inside of the uterus. The placenta
provides the fetus (the developing animal) of a placental mammal with nutrients and oxygen and it
is connected to the fetus by a tube-like structure called an umbilical cord. The placenta also
transports waste products away from the bloodstream of the fetus.

What differentiates humans from other mammals is the gestation period. This period refers to the
length of time the fetus spends inside of the uterus. The gestation period of a chimpanzee is 230
days and the gestation period of the bonobo is on average 240 days. Although humans are similar
to these primates we have the longest gestation period of the three with a calculated 40 weeks.
This gestation period is divided into three stages known as trimesters. In addition to this, one key
characteristic of mammals is the ability to produce milk to feed their offspring. This assists with
providing nutrients necessary for their growth and development. Another main difference
between humans and other mammals is the rate of growth and maturity of the baby. Humans are
highly dependent on their parents during the first year of life and this dependence typically leads
into their teenage years.

Extra information

Activity -
Show how mammals feed their young once they are born
Draw a few spots on a glove to make it more cow-like
mixed a tiny bit of white paint with water or use milk if you have and poured it into a
clear latex glove
closed it off with a rubber band.
then with it positioned over a cup I poked a tiny hole in the “udders” with the smallest
needle I could find.

What are endangered mammals : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k8CcAU2Lt0&t=19s

Definition of Endangered Mammals

When a mammal is endangered, that means that there are only a few of the species left alive on
the entire planet. A species would be classified as critically endangered when there are fewer than
2,500 mature individuals living.

Do you know what a species is considered when it is completely gone and none is left alive?
Answer: Extinct.

Examples of Endangered Mammals

Mammals such as tigers, leopards, black rhinos, lemurs and pandas are examples of just a few
mammals that are endangered. Here is how;

Tigers and leopards are hunted for their beautiful fur coats for humans to use in fashion. They also
experience habitat loss. 3980 tigers remain alive and only 100 leopards are left living.
Rhinos are hunted for their horns to use as an important ingredient for medicine. They are also
wiped out due to disease and natural disasters. They are 2,410 rhinos left alive today.

Animals like pandas and lemurs who live in trees and use trees as a source of food, become
endangered because of deforestation. This is when humans go into their homes and cut down all
of the trees to use for materials to build things such as furniture or buildings.  So then they end up
losing their habitat and food sources and they die.

1,864 pandas and 2000 lemurs remain alive today.

Imagine! That someone was to pull you out of your own house right now! Taking a huge wrecking
ball and smash it into small pieces, along with your favorite toys and books. And you have nothing
to eat and nowhere to sleep. Wouldn’t that be scary?

Well, this is exactly what humans do to animals when they destroy and cut down homes and trees
of where animals live. Leaving the animals homeless.
Additionally, When an oil spill occurs in a body of water, polluting it, causes immediate death of
mammals such as otters. The toxic oil causes reproduction to reduce, causes the mammals living in
the water to stop breathing and can give them diseases.

How we can prevent animals from being endangered

Plant lots of plants and trees for plenty of animals to live on and consume.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to help prevent pollution.

Not dumping chemicals down the drain. Dispose of them properly.

Spread the Word! Let friends and family know of these endangered animals and encourage them
to help save them as well!

If we don’t… how endangered can turn to extinct

If we do not do these things then these animals can continue to suffer and therefore become
extinct!

Activity
Mammal , place and thing

a student will call a letter and everyone has to write down a mammal with that name, it’s habitat
and one thing they learnt today .

Conclusion and goodbye