Animals/Backbone - SchoolNotes

NameDateAnimals With BackbonesBy Sheri SkeltonFeel the back of your neck. The bones at the back of your neckare connected to small bones all the way down the middle of yourback. These bones make up your backbone. Scientists put allanimals into two large groups. One group is animals withbackbones. The other group is animals without backbones.Animals with backbones are called vertebrates. Each bone in thebackbone is called a vertebra. As the animal grows, its backbonegrows, too. An animal with a backbone can usually grow largerthan an animal without a backbone. Animals with backbones oftenhave bigger brains, too.Some animals with backbones spend part of their lives living inwater and part of their lives living on land. These animals arecalled amphibians. When they live in water, they use gills tobreathe. When they live on land, they use lungs to breathe. A tadpole begins its life in water.Then, when it becomes a frog, it lives on land.Reptiles and fish are two other groups of animals with backbones. Reptiles and fish arecold-blooded animals. Reptiles and most fish have scales and usually lay eggs. Snakes and lizardsare two kinds of reptiles. Fish have bodies that are sleek and smooth so they can easily swim inthe water. Most fish have a tail fin that moves back and forth and helps the fish to swim. Fish usegills to breathe.Birds and mammals are warm-blooded animals that have backbones. Birds have hollow bonesthat make their bodies light for flying. The birds that fly need lots of energy, so they must eat a lotof food every day. Most mammals have hair on their bodies. They also feed milk to their babies.People are mammals.Animals With BackbonesQuestions1. Vertebrates are animals with ______.

NameDate2. Animals that spend part of their lives living in water and part of their lives living on land arecalled ______.A. mammalsB. reptilesC. fishD. amphibians3. What do fish use gills for?A. to swimB. to seeC. to breatheD. to eat4. What do most mammals have on their bodies?A. gillsB. hairC. feathersD. fins5. Where does a tadpole begin its life?A. on landB. in a treeC. inside a rockD. in water