Animal Classification

Everyday you classify. Think about it. Sorting objects and putting them into specific places is classification! It's a way of organizing our world. Do you have a sock drawer in your dresser? How about a cabinet in your kitchen for storing cups and plates? Do you collect baseball cards or stamps? If you do you have to organize them in some kind of order. That's classifying.

Animals too are classified in a variety of ways. This helps scientists to study the relationships in animal groups and to see the whole animal family tree as it has developed through time. Animals are found everywhere. We give names to each kind and we divide them into groups. Animals that have backbones are called vertebrates. We divide these animals into six groups: insects, amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles. Have you ever asked "What makes a bird a bird, or a reptile a reptile? 

This webquest will teach you about the animal classifications (insects, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals).  It will help you understand how to classify animals.   Animals are full of suprises.  Scientists are still classifing animals today. Some mammals will be a little tricky like the platapus and the porcupine. The platapus is tricky because it is covered in fur and has a duck bill, a beaver tail, lays eggs and is poisonous! By the end of this webquest  you will know how to classify all the animals.