Animals are of two types - [ 2021]

       In this post, I have dealt with Environmental studies in the classical sense. I have tried to bring it out as both, an area of study and as an approach to study. Under the former, the child learns about the environment. As an approach to study, the learning takes place through it. The entire objective has been to systematize the child's process of interaction with the environment so as to make knowledge effective and meaningful.  In today's age, the harm to the environment is an inconvenient truth. This  can be tackled by the children of this generation who will be the future guardians of a healthy, pollution free earth.

Animals (also called Metazoan) are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exception animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in which their body consists of a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, during embryonic development. Over 1.5 million. living animals species have been described ---- of which around 1 million are insects -- but it has been estimated there are over 7 million animals species in total. Animals range in length from 8.5 micrometer (0.00033 in) to 33.6 meters ( 110 it). They have complex interactions with each other and their environments, forming intricate food webs. The scientific study of animals is known as zoology. 

Animals are of two types

(1) Wild animals (2) Domestic animals :

 Wild animals : Some animals live in the forests. They are called wild animals. Some of the wild animals are : elephants, tigers, lions, giraffes, zebras, monkeys. snakes, crocodiles and deer. 

Wild and Domestic Animals

          There are different kinds of animals and birds in our surroundings.

       Some animals are called Wild Animals. They like to live in the jungle. It is not safe to keep them at home. We can see them in zoos and nationals parks.

          Some animals are called Domestic Animals.

        It is safe to keep them near our home. They help us in many ways. Cows, buffaloes and goats give us milk. Sheep give us wool. Horses, camels and bullocks draw our carts and carriages. Donkeys, horses and camels carry loads for us. 

        The horse and the camel also give us joy rides. The dog guards our home.

We can see these animals in a zoo also.

Domestic animals : Some of the domestic animals are : cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, bulls, horses, donkeys, camels, parrots, hens, dogs and cats.

         They are called domestic animals because they live in or around people's houses, people feed and tend them. Some domestic animals give us milk, meat and wool. Some domestic animals are kept as pets.

1. Animals like cows, buffaloes, dogs, camels, elephants, etc. live on land. They have four legs and a tail.
2. Lizards, tortoise, etc. have short legs.
3. Snakes have no legs.
4. Crocodiles, frogs, etc. live both in water and on land.
5. Fish live only in water.
6. Insects are very small creatures. They have six legs and two pairs of wings.

 Kinds of creatures :

Animals : All animals have four legs, two ears and one tail. Some animals have horns. Some animals are big and huge while some are small.

   Some animals and birds give us milk, wool and flesh, while some birds give us eggs. All these things which are obtained from the birds and animals are called natural resource.

DOMESTIC ANIMALS

 Cow,  Bullock,  Horse Buffalo, Sheep, Goat, Dog, Hen, Donkey, Camel.,

Domestic animals are useful to us.

Cows and buffaloes give us milk.

Sheep give us Wool.

Hens give us eggs.

Donkeys carry loads.

Dogs guard our houses.

The camel is useful to carry goods and people across the desert. Therefore, it is known as the ship of the desert.

WILD ANIMALS

       Animals living in jungles are called wild animals.

  Lion : The lion is called the king of the jungle. It is strong and fierce. The long hair on its neck is called mane. The lion looks beautiful because of the mane.

It lives in a den. When it roars, other animals get frightened.

Tiger : The tiger is the national animal of India. It has brownish yellow or orange-red body. It has black stripes on its body. It lives in a den. It is very strong and fierce. It can run very fast.

Bear : The bear is a large, heavy animal. It has long, thick hair on its body. It is fond of honey.

Monkey : The monkey is the most common wild animal. It can climb up a tree very fast. It lives on fruits and vegetables. It is good at mimicking. Monkeys usually live in herds.

Elephant : The elephant is the strongest animal on land. It has curved ivory tusks and a long trunk. It lives in thick jungles. We tame it to pull heavy logs. It eats grass, leaves and fruits.

Hippopotamus : The hippopotamus is a large animal. Usually we fine it by a river. Its skin is very thick. 

Rhinoceros : The rhinoceros is a very strong and heavy animal. Its skin is very thick and hard. It has either one or two horns on its snout. We find rhinoceroses in the thick forests of Assam.

Zebra : The zebra looks like a horse. It has black and white stripes on its body. So we call such lines on the road 'zebra crossings'.

Wolf : The wolf looks like a dog. Wolves move together in packs and hunt. They howl. They kill goats, Sheep, Cows and deer for food.

Fox : The fox also looks like a dog. It has a long bushy tail. It kills hens, cocks and small animals for food.

WATER ANIMALS

       Some animals live in water. They are called water animals. 

    Fish live in water. They are of different sizes and colors. Some people eat fish.

     The whale is the largest water animals. The shark is also a giant water animals. It can be forty feet long.

Whale, Dolphin, Eel, Shark, Turtle, Crab, pomfret, Prawn, Sea horse, Octopus.

(There are many animals around us. These animals are of different colors, shapes and sizes. The word animal includes a variety of living creatures).

Water creatures :The fish lives in water. The fish has scales, fins, gills and a tail.

Water and land creatures : Some creatures can live both in water and on land.
       Frogs, tortoise and crabs are some of the creatures which can live in water as well as on land.

Water Animals

        Water animals live in water. Some fish like the shark are very big. The seahorse is a fish. Its head looks like a horse. The octopus is a water animals with eight arms. The blue whale is the world's largest animals.

Kinds of creatures 

Animals : All animals have four legs, two ears and one tail. Some animals have horns. Some animals are big and huge while some are small.

Animals 

Animals :

1)Honey bees : Honey bees collect nectar from the flowers and convert it into honey. Honey is stored in a bee hive. Bee-wax and honey are the useful products for us. Honey can be used in confectionery and as medicine. Honey bees help in pollination of the plants and thus are helpful for farmers and orchard owners.

2) Sharks : Shark-liver oil is obtained from sharks. Shark meat is also used as food. Shark fins are in great demand in foreign countries as it is considered as a delicacy. Skin of shark is used for making some items. Shark meat is also used in cattle and poultry feed.

3) Yaks : Yaks are mainly used as a beast of burden and a means of transport in hilly and snowclad regions. In Nepal and Tibet, yaks are used for ploughing the fields. Yak-meat is consumed in some remote areas. Yak milk and the cheese known as Charpy as well as yak butter are widely used in Tibet. Yak dung is used as fuel.

4) Sheep: Sheep provides us with wool. At some places sheep meat is used as food. Sheep milk is used by the shepherd community. From the excreta or pellets of sheep. a good quality fertilizer is obtained. Since sheep have the habit of grazing they are used for clearing the vegetation.

5) Earthworms : Earthworms wriggle through the soil. They help in decomposition of dead and decaying remains of animals and plants. They loosen the soil. with the help of earthworms, vermicomposting of the degradable wastes is also done. Due to earthworms, soil becomes fertile. Therefore, they are considered as friends of farmers.

6) Dogs : Dog is a loyal and faithful animal and considered as the best friends of Man. Dog guards the house and properties of his owners. Sniffer dogs are trained to track narcotics and explosives. Due to this they are in the team of police and army. Dogs play with children and entertain them. Dogs are also used for medical research.

7) Bivalves : Bivalve is the soft bodied animals inside the two shells. These shells are made up of calcium carbonate. These shells have multiple uses. Decorative articles are made from these. The crushed shells are also used in building material. In medicinal preparations the shells are used. The soft animals inside the shell is considered as delicacy. Pearls are cultured inside the shell of bivalve called pearl oyster.

8)Horses : Horse is used as means of transport since olden days. They also draw carts and carriages. In army and police force too, horses are used. Racing of horses ia also a sport.

9)Mice : Mice are more harmful than being useful. They destroy the food and also cause transmission of diseases like plague. However. they are used in biology labs as the experimental animals.

Animals : 

• Animals cannot prepare their own food. They obtain food from plants  or other animals. Hence they are called heterotrophs.
• Animals show various movements  and change their place on their own will.
• Animals show growth only till a specific period.
• Animals do not have chlorophyll thus they cannot perform photosynthesis.
• Animals have respiratory organs for respiration.
• Animals have excretory organs for excretion.
• Animals reproduce either by laying eggs or by giving birth to young ones.

Helpful Animals

Animals serve us in many ways. Animals are very useful to us. Donkeys, camels and horses carry heavy loads. Oxen and buffaloes plough our fields. Cows, buffaloes and goats give us milk. Sheep give us wool. Horses and bullocks draw our carts. Sheep and goats give us meat.

How is the body of animals protected ?

     Some animals have protective covering on their body. Some animals have a layer of scales. Some like turtles and tortoises have plates. Some animals show behavior pattern that protects them. Some are provided with horns, nails or sharp teeth for protecting themselves against their predators.

Movements of these living things ?

Living things : Snakes, Tortoises, kangaroos, Eagles Chameleons, Frogs, Dolphins, Ants, Rattle snakes, Grasshoppers, Earthworms, Goldmohur, Sweet potato creeper.

Snakes : Snakes do not have legs. They creep on the ground. By contraction and relaxation of their body muscles they move from one place to another.

Tortoises : Tortoise have claws on their limbs. They too creep on the ground with a very slow speed. They cannot move fast as their shell is very bulky and heavy which makes their movement clumsy and slow.

Kangaroos : The two powerful hind limbs and a supporting tail makes kangaroo jump from one place to another. It can move faster due to this jumping habit.

Eagles : Eagles can fly high in the sky. The wings of eagles are strong and powerful. The tapering body is highly adapted for flight.

Chameleons : All the four limbs of chameleon are comparatively shouter and weak. Their body is bulky. Therefore they creep with their four legs and the movement is also supported by their tail and claws.

Frogs : Frogs are seen in the vicinity of water. When in  water they swim with the help of hind limbs. There is also a web membrane between the digits of the limbs. When on land they jump with the help of two hind limbs. These are muscular and powerful. The front two forelimbs help in balancing during movements.

Dolphins : Dolphin is an inhabitant of seas. It can efficiently swim with the help of flippers and streamlined body. Since it is a mammal, it cannot breathe in the water and thus for every inhalation and exhalation it rises to the surface of water. It looks like as if it is trying to jump out. One can easily notice a jumping dolphin when the sea is calm.

Rattle snakes : Rattle snake glides at a great speed through the sand. Its movements are popularly knows as slide windings. The snake moves on its sides when it is gliding further.

Ants : Ant, being an insect, has six legs. It can walk fast on these six legs.

Grasshoppers : Grasshoppers fly in the sky with the help of two pairs of wings. Moreover, they have three pairs of walking legs, out of which, the third and last pair is very strong. The first two pairs of legs helps in balancing the body while the strong third pair helps to jump. Grasshopper can even jump a distance of one meter due to its modified and strong legs.

Earthworms : Earthworms have cuticle over the body. There are small structures called setae. With the help of setae, cuticle and muscles earthworms can wriggle through the soil.

Goldmohur : Goldmohur is a large tree. It cannot change its place. Throughout the day its leaflets are spread out in horizontal fashion. But at the sunset they droop down and close. Towards the stimulus of sunlight the leaflets show the responsiveness.

Sweet potato creeper : Creeper needs support. Since the stem is very delicate, it tries to find some support and then goes on spreading. If there is no support, the sweet potato creeper is seen spreading on the ground. As soon as there is any support, it tries to bend towards it. 

         There are many animals in our surroundings. Some of them are useful to us therefore we domesticate and take care of such animals. Some of them are harmful, we try to regulate their population by keeping control.

Useful animals : For farming and transport we need oxen. horse, yak, camel ; for milk we keep cows and buffaloes, we obtain meat from fowl and goats; pets such as dog and cats are all useful animals.

Harmful animals :  Mosquitoes, flies, fleas, lice and similar such insects spread the diseases. Some insects spread skin infections. Rats and mice destroy our food. Poisonous animals like snakes and scorpions can kill a person. Wild animals like leopards can kill our pets, domestic animals or even human beings if they enter the human settlements. Elephants and monkeys from nearby forested areas can cause damage to crops and fruit trees.

         Most living animals species are in Bilaterian, a clade whose members have a bilaterally symmetric body plan. The Bilaterian include the protostomes - in which many groups of invertebrates are found, Such as nematodes, arthropods, and mollusks - and the deuterostomes, containing both the echinoderms as well as the chordates, the latter containing the vertebrates. Life forms interpreted as early animals were present in the Ediacaran biota of the late Precambrian. Many modern animal phyla became clearly established in the fossil record as marine species during the Cambrian explosion, which began around 542 million years ago. 6,331 groups of genes common to all living animals have been identified; these may have arisen from a single common ancestor that lived 650 million years ago.

           Historically, Aristotle divided animals into those with blood and those without. Carl Linnaeus created the first Hierarchical biologic classification for animals Hierarchical biological classification for animals in 1758 with his Sistema Natural, which Jean-Baptiste Lamarck expanded into 14 phyla by 1809. In 1874, Ernst Haeckel divided the animal kingdom into the multicellular Metazoic (now synonymous for Animalia) and the Protozoa, single-celled organisms no longer considered animals in modern times the biological classification of animals relies on advanced techniques, such as molecular phylogenetics, which are effective at demonstrating the evolutionary relationships between taxa.

          Humans make use of many other animals species, such as for food (including meat, milk, and eggs). for materials ( such as leather and wool). as pets, and as working animals including for transport. Dogs have been used in hunting, as have birds of prey, while many terrestrial and aquatic animals were hunted for sports. Nonhuman animals have appeared in art from the earliest times and are featured in mythology and religion.     

Structure :

          All animals are composed of cells, surrounded by a characteristic extracellular matrix composed of collagen and elastic glycoproteins. During development, the animal extracellular matrix form a relatively flexible framework upon Which cells can move about and be reorganized, making the formation of complex structures possible. This may be calcified, forming structures such as shells, bones, and spicules. In contrast, the cells of other multicellular organisms (primarily algae, plants, and fungi) are held in place by cell walls, and so develop by progressive growth. Animal cells uniquely possess the cell junctions called tight junctions, gap junctions. and desmosomes.

       With few exceptions - in particular, the sponges and placozoans - animals bodies are differentiated into tissues. These include muscles, which enable locomotion, and nerve tissues which transmit signals and coordinate the body. Typically, there is also an internal digestive chamber with either one opening (in Ctenophore, Cnidaria, and flatworms ) or two opening (in most bilaterians).

Ecology :  Animals are categorized into ecological; groups depending on how they obtain or consume organic material, including carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, detritivores, and parasites. Interact on between animals form complex food webs. In carnivorous or omnivorous species, Predation is a consumer-resource interaction where predator feeds on another organism (called its prey). SELECTIVE Pressures imposed on one another lead to an evolutionary arms race between predator and prey, resulting in various anti-predator adaptations. Almost all multicellular predators  are animals. Some consumers use multiple methods; for example, in parasitoid wasps, the larvae feed on the hosts' living tissues, killing them in the process, but the adults primarily consume nectar from flowers. Other animals may have very specific feeding behaviors, such as hawksbill sea turtles primarily eating sponges.

     Most animals rely on the biomass and energy produced by plants through photosynthesis. Herbivores eat plant material directly, while carnivores, and other animals on higher trophic levels typically acquire it indirectly by eating other animals . Animals oxidize carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and other biomolecules to unlock the chemical energy of molecular oxygen, which allows the animals to grow and to sustain biological processes such as locomotion. Animals living close to hydrothermal vents and cold seeps on the dark sea floor consume organic matter of archaea and bacteria produced in these locations through chemosynthesis (by oxidizing inorganic compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide.) Animals originally evolved in the sea. Lineages of arthropods colonized land around the same time as land plants, probably between 510 and 471 million years ago during the Late Cambrian or Early ORDOVICIAN. VERTEBRATES SUCH AS THE lobe-finned fish Tiktaalik started to move on to land in the late Devonian, about 375 million, years ago, 

          Animals occupy virtually all of earth's habitats and microhabitats, including salt water, hydrothermal vents, fresh water, hot springs, swamps, forests, pastures, deserts, air and the interiors of animals, plants, fungi and rocks. Animals are however not particularly heat tolerant; very few of them can survive at constant temperatures above 50o C  (122 O f ). Only very few species of animals (mostly nematodes) inhabit the most extreme cold deserts of continental Antarctica.

Phylogeny 

         Animals are monophyletic, meaning they are derived from a common ancestor. Animals are sister to the Choanoflagellate, with  which they form the Choanozoan. The most basal animals the Porifera, Ctenophore, Cnidaria, and Placozoa, have body plans that lack bilateral symmetry. Their relationships are still disputed, the sister group to all other animals could be the Porifera or the Ctenophore, Both of which lack fox genes, important in body plan development.

              These genes are found in the Placozoa and the higher animals, the Bilaterian. 6,331 groups of genes common to all living animals have been identified; these may have arisen from a single common ancestor that lived 650 million years ago in the Precambrian. 25 of these are novel core gene groups, found only in animals, of those, 8 are for essential components of the Wont and TGF-beta signaling pathways which may have enabled animals to become multicellular by Providing a pattern for the body's system of axes (in three dimensions), and another 7 are for transcription factors including homeodomain proteins involved in the control of development. The phylogenetic tree (of major lineages only) indicates approximately how many millions of years ago (may) the lineages split.

 So many Kinds of animals

    People love to keep animals. The dog guards our house. People like to keep cats, too, Cows, buffaloes and goats give us milk. Some people keep hens. We get meat, milk and eggs from animals.

      Bullocks help with farm work. Hitched to a cart, they can draw heavy burdens, too. Horses and donkeys, too, are used to carry burdens.

       We look after the animals we keep. We feed them. We take care of them when they are ill.
        The animals we keep become very dear to us.

    Some animals enter our houses even though we don't want them. Mice and rats destroy stored grain, besides gnawing other things in the house.

    Sometimes we find bedbugs in our house. They suck our blood. Spiders make cobwebs in the house.

   Mosquitoes, flies, gnats and cockroaches are a nuisance, too, Even so, these troublesome animals, too, have an important place in Nature.

     We have seen that animals around us can be grouped in different ways. We formed these groups using our everyday observations.

      However, when scientists classify animals, they look at more important Characteristics of animals. 

     The young ones of animals like the cow, dog, goat and rat grow up on their mother's milk. These animals have four legs. They have hair on their body. They have external ears. Birds have only two legs. They have two wings to fly with. Their body is covered with feathers.

     There are differences in the flying ability of different birds. The eagle can soar high into the sky and stay in the air for a long time.

       But the cock does not fly high, and comes down soon, too.

       There are many different Kinds of fish. They live in the water. Fish have fins. They use their fins to move in water. There are scales on a fish's body.

A fish has gills behind its eyes. Fish use their gills to breathe in water.
     Chameleons, house lizards and snakes are animals that crawl. They have scales on their bodies.

    Chameleons and house lizards have four legs, but, these legs are very short.
     The snake does not have any legs at all.

     Butterflies have wings, too. But we don't call them birds. They are insects. They are smaller than birds. Besides, they have six legs.

   Animals which have six legs are called insects. So. butterflies are insects.

    Mosquitoes, houseflies and Cockroaches are insects, too.
   Bats have wings but thy don't have feathers on their body. Young ones of bats feed on their mother's milk.

     Bats are not birds like the crow, sparrow, parrot and cock. They are included in the group of the cow, tiger, deer and mouse.

(This was all about a few animals we are familiar with. But there are many more animals in the world.

      There are a lot of differences in the colors, shapes and sizes of animals. There are differences in the ways they move and the places they live in. These differences that we see among animals gives rise to a lot of variety in animals. 

      The number of animals that live in the sea is also very large. There is great variety among them, too.)

                                            Animal Shelters

Why do we need houses ?

Why do we need houses ?
    Very cold weather, gusty winds, Scorching sun, heavy rains can cause us great discomfort. We live in houses to protect ourselves from them. A house also protects us from thefts.

   Some people live very close to forests. They have to face the threat of wild animals. A house protects them from the wild animals, too.

    Like us, do animals also need shelters ? Some animals do. They build shelters for themselves. Some other animals find shelter in safe places in the environment.
Shelter : a safe place where one is protected from any danger. A place where one is protected from the sun, rain, wind, etc.

Animals who build shelters for themselves:

   You must have seen birds nests. Nests are shelters that birds build. Birds are afraid of animals that eat eggs. So they need a safe place to lay their eggs.

     Baby birds come out of the eggs. There are animals that eat these young birds. The young birds are too weak to defend themselves. The nest keeps the young ones safe. That is why birds build nests. They use things like grass, straw and twigs to build nests. They may even use cotton wool, and pieces of thread and string. This makes the nest soft and warm inside.

      But the nests of all birds are not all alike.

   Birds choose convenient places to build nests. Look at the weaver bird. It chooses a thorny tree which has some branches hanging over water. It builds its nest on the highest of these branches. Animals that eat eggs find it difficult to reach this nest.

     The tailor bird is smaller than a sparrow. It selects a plant with bigger leaves and builds its nest by stitching the leaves together. It uses a fine tendril to stitch them together. This little nest is big enough for the little tailor bird.

     Some insects also build their own shelters. For example, honey bees build their honeycombs on trees or under the roof of an overhanging cliff.

     Rats and mice live underground in fields. They dig into the soil and make holes and burrows to live in.

    Rats and mice also live in areas where people live. They make holes in the walls or under the floors in houses. They mostly take shelter in mud houses and not in those built with cement. That is because they cannot dig holes into cement construction.

Animals that find ready shelters in the surroundings:

       Some animals do not make any efforts to build a shelter. They simply look around for a safe place. Some doves and pigeons live in forests. Some live in small hollows in high cliffs. Some live near our houses. They find shelter in gaps in walls. 

     Tigers, leopards, hyenas live in caves. 

     Some types of bats live in tall trees. But some live in dark caverns in mountains. Or, they look for shelter in old, deserted, tumble-down buildings. It is believed that a cobra lives in an anthill. But that is not true. Anthills are built by ants, not by a cobra. The cobras live in holes.

        Animals them describing their shape, colour, sound, shelter, etc. Or,   Count how many types of living things you see. Now repeat the activity near your house, in the school garden or in a field. In the course of your observations, did you notice any sings of the presence of living things though the living things themselves were not seen ? For example, did you notice any partly eaten fruit or shells, fallen feathers, animals tracks, dung, droppings, nests, cocoons, eggs, honeycombs, etc.? Could you observe any micro-  organisms ? How many types of living things did you see at the places you visited? Do you think you saw all the kinds of living things that belong there? Did you see the same living things at various places or different ones ?  The variety we see in all the living things that belong to a particular area is called the 'biodiversity' of that place.

        To study the biodiversity of a place, scientists make a large number of observations. They make these observations in different conditions such as day and night, in different seasons, etc. They use special devices to make observations of living things that are found at great heights or depths as well as of micro - organisms. Observations of many scientists are brought together and studied again. Only when all such efforts are made over a long period of time can we be sure of the biodiversity of a place.

           The surroundings and the conditions in those surroundings which affect the life of the organisms there, are together known as their environment. It includes many components such as sunlight, air, water, soil, plants, and animals, etc. Living and non-living things are dependent on each other. There is a lot of give and take or interaction between them. 

           There are several links in this chain. If the links were to separate from each other, could they be called a chain? Even though each link is a complete object, it is joined to the links before and after it. If any link comes loose, the chain is broken. Each of the components - plants, grasshopper, bird - is food for the next one. That is why we say that they form a chain. Such a chain is called a food chain. Each of these components is a link in a food chain.

          One living thing can be a part of a number of food chains That gives rise to a food web in nature. The most important food in food chains - plants :  Every living thing gets its food from the environment. Many animals in the environment eat only plants. Other animals eat the animals that live on plants. But plants make their own food in the presence of sunlight using water and the carbon dioxide from the air. It  means that plants are the main support of every food chain. every living things gets the food it needs and therefore continues to live. Micro-organisms living in the soil help the process of decomposition of plant residue, dead animals, excreta, etc. As a result, substances that help the growth of plants are formed and get added to the soil. Plants use them for their growth. Thus plants use substances in the soil for their growth and when plants and animals die, the decomposition of their remains adds these substances to the soil once again. This is an important cycle in the environment.

          Also, living things get a continuous supply of water because of the water cycle. Living things use oxygen from the air for breathings and give out carbon dioxide gas. Plants use the carbon dioxide from the air for making their food. Oxygen is given out in this process and gets added to the air again. This too is a cycle in nature. There are several other such cycles in nature. Thus, there is interaction amongst living things and between living and non - living things in nature. The interactions go on continuously. This helps to maintain the food chains in the environment. When the various cycles in the environment go on uninterrupted, environmental balance gets maintained.

The Animal World 

        We are all animals, from the crawling worm to the mighty lion. Even human beings are animals. Most animals can move about freely. Their diet consists of plants and other small animals. They too have sense organs. Come, let us arrange some of the animals into groups.

Mammals : Mammals nurse their young ones. They young ones are fed on their mother's milk. These animals have four limbs (hands / legs ) and a tail. They have fur or hair on their bodies. Human beings are also mammals, but they do not have a tail. Some of the mammals are :

Reptiles : These animals have a hard or scaly skin. They are always born on land. Some of these animals have four legs. Snakes have no legs at all. Some of the reptiles are : 

Birds : Birds come out of eggs. They have two legs. They have two legs. They have feathers on their body to keep them warm. All birds have a bill or a beak. They peck at their food with the beaks. Many birds can fly with the help of their wings. Birds like ducks and swans have paddle - like feet to help them swim in water. 

Some of the birds around us are :
Swan , Parrot , crow , sparrow , pigeon .

Beaks, feet and claws of birds Short beaks :
Sparrows and pigeons have short beaks. They use their beaks for eating seeds and grains. 

Curved beaks : Eagles and vultures have curved beaks. They use their beaks for tearing the flesh of animals.

Broad and flat beaks : The duck has a broad and flat beak.

Feet and claws 

Perching birds

Birds like the crow , pigeon and sparrow have three toes in front and one toe at the back. These toes help the birds to hold on to the branches of trees.

Climbing birds : The parrot has two toes pointing forward and two pointing back. These toes help the parrot to climb trees.

Flesh - eating birds : Eagles an vultures have strong claws. These help them to catch small animals for food.

Swimming birds : Ducks and swans have webbed feet. These help them to swim in water.

Sea animals : These animals always live in water. They can swim in water. 

Some of the sea animals are : Whale , octopus , seahorse , fish , starfish .

Land and water animals : These animals can live on land and in water. 

Some of them are : Frog , crocodile .

Insects : There are many insects around us. They have six legs. Most insects have wings to fly. Some of them crawl on the ground. Flies and mosquitoes are our enemies. Flies carry germs. The mosquito spreads diseases like malaria. 

Some of the insects around us are :  grasshopper , ant , bee, mosquito , housefly , cockroach , butterfly , beetle .

Do you know .... !!!!!

[ A house lizard can not only walk on the wall, it can also walk on the ceiling. ]

Learning Outcome : Ability to identify animals and birds. 

Food for Animals and Birds

Food For mammals : All animals need food and water. However, all animals do not eat the same food. Cows, buffaloes and goats eat grass. Horses like to eat gram. Monkeys, elephants and rabbits like to eat fruits, vegetables and leaves of plants. The bear, lion and tiger eat other animals as their food.

Food For Reptiles : Lizards, crocodiles and snakes eat insects and small animals. Snakes do not chew their food ; they swallow it. 

Food For Birds : Birds peck at grains and fruits with their beaks. Some birds like the woodpecker eat small insects. Parrots love to eat chilies and guavas. Some birds like the stork, eagle and hawk eat smaller animals.

Food For Insects : The butterfly sucks the nectar from flowers. The mosquito sucks blood for its food.

Food Habits of Animals : Different animals have different food habits. Animals that eat only plants are called herbivores. Some herbivores are horses, deer, zebra, etc. Animals that eat only other animals are  called carnivores. Some carnivores are lions, tigers, etc. Some animals eat both plants and animals. They are called omnivores. Some omnivores are squirrels, pigs, bear, etc.

Care of Animals : We should be kind to all animals. We should not tease or hurt them. We should also take good care of our pets. They should be given food on time. We should take them to the animals doctor, when they are ill. Animal doctors are called veterinary surgeons or vets. Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the cure of diseases in animals.

Do You know ... !!!! Insects get trapped in a spider's web but the spider can easily move on it. Some baby animals are fed by their mothers.

Learning Outcome : Awareness of the food of animals and birds. 

Who am I ? (Hint : We are wild Animals)

1.  I like to eat honey.        ........
2. I have fan - like ears.     .......
3. I have black and white stripes on my body.    .....
4. I am called the king of the jungle.                 ......
5. I have a long neck.        ........

Ans ....   zebra , bear , giraffe , elephant , lion ,

Who am I ? (Hint : We are tame animals )

1. I  Kill rats.   ......
2. I like to eat bones.    .....
3. I give milk.       ......
4. I take you on a ride on my back.    .....
5. I like eating carrots.    ......

Ans ...  Cow , cat,  horse, rabbit , Dog .

Reptiles

Some animals are called reptiles. They have a rough skin. Most of them live on land. Some of them like the crocodile and the turtle live on land and in water.

Insects

There are many insects arounds us. They have six legs. Some insects can fly. They have thin wings. Others move on land or swim in water. Flies and mosquitoes spread diseases.

Useful insects

Silkworms produce silk. Bees give us honey.

         I hope that the children for whom this post is written will find it useful and interesting. Suggestions and comments for the improvement of the post would be most welcome.