Animal Taxonomy

•Reptiles
•Birds
•Mammals

Ms. Mercy S.
Landicho
 Class Reptilia
•The class Reptilia
includes snakes, lizards,
alligators, turtles, and
other large reptiles.
•All of them have lungs
to breathe on land and
skin that does not need
to be kept wet.
 Characteristics
1. Strong, bony skeletons
and feet with claws
2. Ectothermic
(cold-blooded)
3. Dry scaley skin
4. Respiration with lungs
5. Ventricle partially divided
 Characteristics
1. Strong, bony skeletons
and feet with claws
2. Ectothermic
(cold-blooded)
3. Dry scaley skin
4. Respiration with lungs
5. Ventricle partially divided
6. Amniote eggs
7. Internal fertilization
Order Rhynchocephalia Tuataras “spiny crest”
Order Rhynchocephalia Tuataras “spiny crest”
Order Rhynchocephalia
•Resembles a large lizard
about 60 cm long
•Has an inconspicuous third
eye on top of its head-
parietal eye- functions as a
thermostat- protects from
overheating
•Active at low temperatures
and feed at night on insects,
worms and small animals
Order Squamata Lizards, Snakes and
Amphisbaenians
 Order Squamata Lizards
(Suborder Sauria)
Except legless lizard

Some lizards have moveable

eyelids with a third membrane
External ear openings
Some species can lose and
regenerate parts of their tails
Size:1.4 inches to 10 feet (gecko
to Komodo)
 Order Squamata Snakes
(Suborder Serpentes)
About 2,900 species, serpere, to
crawl
Most are harmless, but about 300
species are venomous.
Elongate and lack limbs, have
more than 200 vertebrae and
pairs of ribs – for locomotion.
Upper jaws are movable on the
skull and upper and lower jaws
loosely joined by flexible
ligaments, so each half can move
independently – allows swallowing
large prey.
All are carnivorous.
 Order Squamata Worm Lizards
(Suborder Amphisbaenia)
135 species
They are limbless burrowers
Distinguished from all other
vertebrates by the presence
of 1 tooth in upper jaw
Can move forward or
backward in burrows
Feed on small insects
Also lay eggs
 Order Chelona Turtles and tortoises

Turtle shells are more

streamlined to aid in
swimming.
Turtles will have more flipper
like legs, or webbed feet to Razorback Musk Turtle
make it easier to cruise
through the water.

Spotted Turtle
 Order Chelona Turtles and tortoises

Tortoises have more

rounded and domed shells
where turtles have thinner,
more water-dynamic shells.
Tortoises spend most of their Sulcata tortoise
time on land.
Tortoises have club-like
forelegs and 'elephantine'
hind legs which help them
move around and carry the
extra weight!
Galapagos tortoise
 Order Crocodilia Crocodile, Alligator, Caiman,
Gavials
Crocodilians live in or near water Crocodile (family Crocodylidae)
in tropical/ subtropical regions of
the world (Africa, Asia and
Americas)
Crocodiles have powerful jaws
with many conical teeth and
short legs with clawed webbed
toes. They share a unique body
form that allows the eyes, ears,
and nostrils to be above the
water surface while most of the
animal is hidden below. The tail
is long and massive, and the skin
is thick and plated.
 Order Crocodilia Alligator
(Family Alligatoridae)
They are large animals with
powerful tails that are used
both in defense and in
swimming.
Alligators are carnivorous and
live along the edges of
permanent bodies of water,
such as lakes, swamps, and
rivers.
Alligators possess a broad
U-shaped snout and have an
“overbite”
 Order Crocodilia Caimans
(Family Alligatoridae)
Caimans- Central America-
some in Florida
They live along the edges of
rivers and other bodies of
water, and they reproduce by
means of hard-shelled eggs
laid in nests built and guarded
by the female.
 Order Crocodilia Gavials (Family Gavialidae)

Gavials inhabit the rivers of

northern India and Nepal.
Like other crocodilians, it
reproduces by means of
hard-shelled eggs laid in nests
built by the female. It is
distinguished by its long, very
slender, and sharp-toothed
jaws, which it sweeps
sideways in order to catch
fish, its main prey.
Class
Aves
 Characteristics
1. Birds are warm-blooded animals.
2. Their forelimbs are modified into
wings.
3. They have well-developed flight
muscles that help during the flight.
4. Their hind limbs are adapted for
walking, hopping, perching, grasping,
wading and swimming.
5. There are epidermal scales on their
legs
 Characteristics
6. The endoskeleton is bony with long
hollow bones filled with air cavities.
known as pneumatic bones.
7. Their spindle-shaped body minimizes
resistance of the wind.
8. The feathers help in preventing heat
loss and reduce air friction by
providing passage to the air.
9. There is no skin gland except the oil
gland.
10. The lower and upper and jaws are
modified into a beak.
 Characteristics
11. They have no teeth.
12. They have sharp eyesight.
13. The alimentary canal has a crop and a
gizzard. The crops help in softening
food, and the gizzard helps in crushing
the food.
14. Pigeons and other seed-eating birds
lack a gall bladder.
15. They have spongy and elastic lungs
for respiration.
 Characteristics
16. The special vocal organ called syrinx is
present at the base of trachea.
17. Their heart is four-chambered.
18. RBCs are oval, nucleated and biconvex.
19. 12 pairs of cranial nerves are present.
20. They have a single ovary and oviduct on
the left side
21. All the birds are oviparous and exhibit
sexual dimorphism. The eggs have four
embryonic membranes- amnion, chorion,
allantois, and yolk sac.
 Archaeornithes
This class of birds are extinct.
They had a toothed beak with
a long lizard-like tail.

Eg., Archaeopteryx
Neornithes
Order Accipitriformes Hawks, Eagles, Osprey

There are three families in

this order with around 250
species. These are the birds of
prey. They are medium to
large-sized and have strong
talons; strong, curved beaks;
and excellent eyesight.
 Ducks, Geese,
Order Anseriformes Swans, Screamers

The birds in this order are adapted for life in the water!
They have webbed feet and bills that let them take in food
and filter out water.
There are two families in this order: Anhimidae and
Anatidae. There are about 160 species in the order and
they are found in all parts of the world, except for the
Antarctic. They are found on lakes, ponds, rivers and
streams.
Order Apodiformes Hummingbirds, swifts

The birds in this order are very small

and have short legs and tiny feet, in fact
the word apodiformes means "footless"
in Latin. Unlike other birds that have
scales or scutes on their feet, the feet of
the birds in this order are bare skin with
no scales. They have long primary
feathers and short secondary feathers.
Their young are blind, naked, and
helpless at birth.
Order Bucerotiformes Hornbills, Hoopoes

There are over 70 species in this order.

They are found in Africa, Asia, and
Europe.
Hornbills are all found in the tropic
regions of Africa, Asia, and the South
Pacific. They live in a variety of habitats
including the desert, the grasslands, and
the forest. They are omnivorous and eat
insects, fruit, birds, and other small
animals. The have large bills topped with
horny plates called casques.
Order Caprimulgiformes Nightbirds

The birds in this order are nocturnal and

eat insects. They have small feet and
short, weak legs. Most species have
large mouths that are often surround by
whiskers or bristles. They are usually
darkly colored. There are five families in
this order.
Order Cathartiformes New World Vultures

There are seven species in this order.

They are all found in North and South
America. The birds in this family are
scavengers, they eat carrion. They have
bare heads, powerful legs and feet, and
strong bills.
Order Charadriiformes Shorebirds

There are over 350 species of birds in

this order. They are found in all parts of
the world. Most of the birds in this order
live near or on the water and they range
in size
Order Coraciiformes Kingfishers, Hornbills

They have big heads and small

feet with three front toes that are
joined for at least part of their
length! Many species in this order
are very colorful and have unique
bills.
Order Galliformes Turkeys, Pheasants, Quails

There are five families in this

order and over 250 species.
These birds are chicken-like in
shape. They range in size from
small to large; have plump,
pear-shaped bodies; rounded
wings; small bills; and small,
round heads. Some species, like
the turkey, have wattles on their
necks.
Order Sphenisciformes Penguins

There are 17 species of colorful birds in

this order. Penguins are found in the
Southern Hemisphere from the
Antarctic to the equator. They range in
size from 1.5-3.7 feet in height. They are
black or dark gray with white chests and
stomachs. They have stiff, flipper-like
wings; long bills; short legs; and webbed
feet.
 Ostriches, Emus, Rheas,
Order Struthioniformes Kiwis

There are around 15 species of flightless

birds in this order. They are found in
Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and
South America.
The birds in this order don't have a keel
on their sternum or breastbone. The
keel is the part of the breastbone on a
bird where the wing muscles are
attached.
Class Mammalia
 Characteristics
•Aiding in mammal body
temperature control is their
insulating hair and sweat
glands. Sweating helps to
dissipate heat by evaporative
cooling.
•Mammals have four
chambered hearts (like birds),
complex nervous systems,
and large brains relative to
the size of their bodies.
 Characteristics
1. Mammals are warm-blooded animals who give
birth to their younger ones.
2. They are the most dominant form of animals found
in almost all types of habitats.
3. They have mammary glands that help them
produce milk to feed their younger ones
4. Presence of region of the brain known as Neocortex
5. Their skin possesses oil glands (sebaceous glands)
and sweat glands (sudoriferous glands).
 Characteristics
6. The fur of hair throughout the body which helps
animals adapt to their environment.
7. They are heterodont, i.e., possess different types
of teeth.
8. Mammals also possess cervical vertebrae.
9. The skull is dicondylic.
10. The trunk is divided into thorax and abdomen.
 Characteristics
11. The mammals respire through lungs.
12. Good sense of hearing as mammals are aided with
3 middle ear bones
13. Mammals have a four-chambered heart. The sinus
venous and renal portal system are absent.
14. Presence of single-boned lower jaws.
15. The brain is well developed divided into cerebrum,
cerebellum and medulla.
 Characteristics
16. They possess 12 pairs of cranial nerves.
17. Exhibit one of the most advanced forms of
Diaphragms.
18. The mammals can lay eggs also. They are known as
viviparous.
Classifications of Mammals
Eutheria
Mammals under this subclass give birth to young ones.
The young ones are developed inside the mother and
derive nutrition through the placenta from the
mother. Furthermore, it consists of 19 orders, few of
which are:Order Examples
Proboscidea Elephants
Rodentia Rats
Artiodactyla Cows
Classifications of Mammals
Metatheria
Mammals belonging to this sub-class give birth to
immature young ones, hence they stay in their
mother’s pouch until they mature. For eg., Marsupials
and Kangaroos. They are divided into seven different
orders:
Classifications of Mammals
Prototheria
Also known as Monotremes, the
sub-class Prototheria consists of
egg-laying mammals. It has one
order having 6 species

Order: Monotremata
Example: Duckbilled platypus,
Echidna
 Respiratory System

Circulatory System
Reptile

Bird

Mammal
References:
•https://byjus.com/biology/animal-kingdom-animalia-subphyl
um/
•https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/animal/animal_4.htm
•https://www.nashvillezoo.org/our-blog/posts/turtles-vs-tort
oises
•https://byjus.com/biology/aves/