Imari+Boswell

The Animal Kingdom [|Animal Kingdom] can be split up into main groups, vertebrates (with a backbone) and [|invertebrates] (without a backbone). When you think of an animal, you usually think of something like a cat, a dog, a mouse, or a tiger.  All told, around 800,000 species have been identified in the Animal Kingdom -- most of them in the Arthropod phylum.  In fact, some [|scientists] believe that if we were to identify all species in the tropical rain forests the ranks of //Arthropoda// would swell to over 10 million species! Most people do not normally think of a clam, a jellyfish, or an earthworm as an animal.  Yet all of them belong to the kingdom of animals. The science of classifying organisms is called taxonomy.  In order to [|study] living things, scientists classify each organism according to its:  Kingdom  Phylum  Class  Order  [|Family] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Genus <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Species <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Usually, a species is called by its genus name (capitalized) followed by its species name (lower case), so a human being is called Homo sapiens. In Latin that means "wise man." <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> To date there are five kingdoms: Animalia, which is made up of animals; Plantae, which is made up of plants; Protista, which is made up of protists (single-celled creatures invisible to the human eye); Fungi, which is made up of mushrooms, mold, yeast, lichen, etc; and Monera, which is made up of the three types of bacteria. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> The next category is the Phylum. There are several phyla within each kingdom. The phyla start to break the animals (or <span style="font-family: inherit ! important; font-size: inherit ! important; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static; text-decoration: underline ! important;">[|plants], fungi, etc) into smaller and more recognizable groups. The best known phylum is Chordata, which contains all animals with backbones (fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians). There is also Arthropoda (insects, spiders, crustaceans); Mollusca (snails, squid, clam); Annelida (segmented worms); Echinodermata (starfish, <span style="font-family: inherit ! important; font-size: inherit ! important; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static; text-decoration: underline ! important;">[|sea urchins] ) and many, many more. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> The next category that makes up the phyla is the Class. The class breaks up animals into even more familiar groups. For example, the phylum Chordata is broken down into several classes, including Aves (birds), Reptilia (reptiles), Amphibia (amphibians), Mammalia (mammals) and several others. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> The next category is the Order. Each class is made up of one or more orders. Mammalia can be broken down into Rodentia (mice, rats), Primates (Old- and New-World monkeys), Chiroptera (bats), Insectivora (shrews, moles), Carnivora (dogs, cats, weasels), Perissodactyla (horses, zebras), Artiodactyla (cows), Proboscidea (elephants) and many more. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Orders can then be broken down into Families. The order Carnivora can be broken down into Canidae (dogs), Felidae (cats), Ursidae (bears), Hyaenidae (hyaenas, aardwolves), Mustelidae (weasels, wolverines), and many more. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> The next category is the Genus. The family Felidae, for example, can be broken down into Acinonyx (cheetah), Panthera (lion, tiger), Neofelis (clouded leopard) and Felis (domestic cats). <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Finally, the genus is broken down into the Species. The genus Panthera can be broken down to include Panthera leo (lion) and Panthera tigris (tiger). Note that the genus is placed in front of the species.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Main group of Invertebrates are :
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> The largest and most commonly studied phyla of animals are:
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Porifera (sponges)
 * 2) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Cnidaria (jellyfish, hydras, sea anemones, Portuguese man-of-wars, and corals)
 * 3) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Platyhelminthes (flatworms, including planaria, flukes, and tapeworms)
 * 4) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Nematoda (roundworms, including rotifers and nematodes)
 * 5) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Mollusca (mollusks, including bivalves, snails and slugs, and octopuses and squids)
 * 6) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Annelida (segmented worms, including earthworms, leeches, and marine worms)
 * 7) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Echinodermata (including sea stars, sea cucumbers, sand dollars, and sea urchins)
 * 8) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Arthropods (including arachnids, crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes, and insects)
 * 9) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Chordata (animals with nerve chords - this group includes the vertebrates

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> KINGDOM NR.OF SPECIES code <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Bacteria.............................................. 4,000 Protoctists (algae, protozoa, etc)......... 80,000 Animals, vertebrates........................... 52,000 Animals, invertebrates.................... 1,272,000 Fungi................................................. 72,000 Plants.............................................. 270,000 code

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Here are 5 things you can do to make your personal environment healthier: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">1. Keep Your Air Clean: Keeping your air as clean as possible at home is important. After all, you spend at least half of your life at home! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">2. Choose Personal Care Products Wisely: What products we use on our bodies can play an important part in our health. Chemicals, preservatives and additives can interfere with hormones and our wellbeing. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many authorities on what personal products are healthy and a lot of product companies make claims that aren’t necessarily true. That said, you can be wise about the products you choose to use. Aim for those that are high in natural ingredients and avoid chemicals, fragrances and preservatives. Here are some ingredients worth avoiding: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> 3. Choose Home Products Wisely: Products that you use in and around your home, such as cleaners, pesticides and detergents can emit toxins into your air, clothes and home fabrics. There are some great brands out there that aim to eliminate these. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">4. Eat Organic: Although organic foods tend to be more expensive than non-organic foods, there are some foods that are really worth the extra money. Produce, meats, eggs and dairy in particular are worth the extra dough. Organic meat and dairy are free of antibiotics, GMO Feed, Drugs and added hormones. While organic produce is free of pesticides and chemicals that can be detrimental to your health. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">5. Renovate Wisely: If you are doing some home renovating projects, try to find materials that are sustainable, earth friendly and non-toxic. For instance, use low or non-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint to ensure that toxic gases aren’t emitted into the air. Further, you can use products such as FLOR Carpet Tiles and other surfaces to keep emissions low. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">//Air Filters:// A good rule of thumb is to switch out your air filters in heating and cooling units twice a year. This will ensure that your units function efficiently and that the air is being effectively cleaned.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">//Mud Rooms:// Have a designated area at your entry for taking shoes off. Taking off your shoes will prevent you from tracking in dirt, dust and pollutants into your home.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">//Smoking:// This goes without saying…don’t allow people to smoke in your home. If you live with a smoker, make sure they smoke outdoors, and if possible, urge them to stay outdoors for five minutes after they are done smoking. When smokers reenter a building, they continue to exhale after they put the cigarette out. An extra 5 minutes outdoors should help to minimize this.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Parabens (butyl, methyl and propylparaben)
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">triethanolamine
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate (SLS)
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Disodium Laureth sulfoscuuinate (DLS)
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Phenoxyethanol

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Mollusks were among the first inhabitants of the Earth. Fossils of mollusks have been found in rocks and date back over 500 million years. Mollusk fossils are usually well preserved because of their hard shell. Most mollusks have a soft, skin-like organ covered with a hard outside shell. Some mollusks live on land, such as the snail and slug. Other mollusks live in water, such as the oyster, mussel, clam, squid and octopus. Land living mollusks, like the snail, move slowly on a flat sole called a foot. Ocean living mollusks move or swim by jet propulsion. They propel themselves by ejecting water from their body. For example, the squid ejects water from a cavity within its body, and the scallop ejects water to move by clamping its shell closed. Other ocean living mollusks, like the oyster, attach themselves to rocks or other surfaces, and can't move. They feed by filtering small food particles from water that flows through them.

Arthropods make up over 75% of the world's animal species. Arthropods include animals such as [|insects], [|crustaceans] and [|arachnids]. The largest group of Arthropods are the insects. The next largest group are the crustaceans, including lobsters and crabs. The arachnids include spiders and ticks. Other Arthropods include centipedes and millipedes. Arthropods have limbs with joints that allow them to move. They also have an exoskeleton, which is a hard, external skeleton. Their body cavity contains the nervous system, circulatory system, reproductive system and digestive system. Click on the picture or name of the Arthropod below for more information.
 * [[image:http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/Images/CrabTn.JPG width="108" height="100" caption="Crab" link="http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/Crustaceans.htm"]] || [[image:http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/Images/ArachnidTn.JPG width="111" height="100" caption="Arachnid" link="http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/Arachnids.htm"]] || [[image:http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/Images/InsectTn.JPG width="117" height="100" caption="Insect" link="http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/Insects.htm"]] ||
 * [|Crustaceans] || [|Arachnids] || [|Insects] ||

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Echinoderms are marine animals that live in the ocean. Common echinoderms include the sea star, sea urchin, sand dollar and sea cucumber. Most echinoderms have arms or spines that radiate from the center of their body. The central body contains their organs, and their mouth for feeding. Sea stars, commonly known as the starfish, have 5 or more arms attached to their body.
 * On the bottom of the Starfish are small tube feet to help with movement and feeding. The starfish's mouth is underneath, and is capable of eating other sea life such as clams and mussels. || [[image:http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/Images/SeaStar.JPG width="400" height="321" caption="star fish"]] ||
 * Another type of echinoderm is the sea urchin. Sea urchins have many spines connected to their body. These spines help to protect them from predators. ||

Aves There are over 8,000 species of birds. Birds have 3 major differentiating characteristics: wings for flight, feathers, and a beak rather than teeth. Birds have adapted their vertebrate skeleton for flight. Their bones and skull are very thin, making their bodies extremely light. To support flight also required other changes to their skeleton. Obvious changes are the addition of wings. A bird's respiratory system is also adapted to make it easier to breathe at high elevations, where air is thinner. || ||
 * Other changes are less obvious. The claws and muscles of a bird's foot are designed to lock and hold onto a perch even while the bird is sleeping.

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Emu **Genus:** Dromains || || The largest bird that inhabits the lush, grassy fields of Australia is the emu. Adults are about 5.7 ft. tall and weigh about 110-120 lbs. It has medium size wings, but it can't fly! The base feathers are white, while the feathers on the top are blackish brown. The feathers act as a "feathery-quilt" because they're so loosely connected. From a distance they look very course. The weight of the female emu is 90 lbs., while the male weighs 80 lbs. They only have 3 toes, and they are very sharp, making it easy for them to run really fast. Emu's have long, strong necks, very sharp beaks, and bald, bluish heads. ||
 * Species:** novaehollandiae
 * || [[image:http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/images/emu_nina.jpg width="194" height="191" align="center"]]

Nigriceps Ant **Genus:** Crematogaster || || On the  savannas  of Kenya, Africa, there grows a tree that is exclusively inhabited by four species of stinging ants, some of which live nowhere else; Crematogaster nigriceps, Crematogaster mimosae, Crematogaster sjostedti, and Tetraponera penzigi. At the slightest movement of a branch these ants will swarm out and deliver painful stings to grazing giraffes and other browsers. Of the four species Crematogaster nigriceps, or the nigriceps ant, is the least war-like. ||
 * Species:** nigriceps
 * || [[image:http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/images/crematogastor_ant.jpg width="220" height="153" align="center"]]

Saker Falcon **Common Names:** Saker Falcon, Altai Saker, Steppe Saker || || The saker falcon is a big, strong bird of prey with large feet and pointed wings. It is larger than the peregrine falcon, and has a very wide wingspan for its size. There are several subspecies of saker falcons; the steppe Saker (Falco cherrug cherrug), the mountain Saker (Falco cherrug milvipes), and the Altai Saker (Falco cherrug altaicus ). The saker falcon has a large range of color, from dark brown to grey, to almost white. Saker falcons are also thought to breed with gyrfalcons and form a hybrid falcon. ||
 * Genus:** Falco
 * Species:** cherrug
 * || [[image:http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/images/saker_falcon.jpg width="140" height="214" align="center"]]

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Work cited

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">http://www.indianchild.com/animal_kingdom.htm __

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">http://www.sheerbalance.com/eco-living/5-ways-to-keep-your-personal-environment-healthy/ __

__http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/animals/animals.htm__

__http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/animals.htm__