3rd Class Science Community Eating Animal Life

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This lesson will help you to: -

• identify different animals with varying sizes.
• observe different features of animals.
• understand how different animals move.
• know their habitat.
• learn about different types of insects.
• explore the world of birds-their living places, eating habits, common features like feathers and sounds produced by them.

Interesting Facts

• Human beings, cats, dogs, cows, elephants, tigers, lions, kangaroos etc. are mammals that live on land and give birth to young ones.
• Kangaroos and koalas have special pouch on their stomach and back respectively. They use it to carry their young ones.
• Penguins are flightless birds.

QUICK CONCEPT REVIEW

If we look around we will notice different types of animals around us. Some of them are big, some are small, some live on land, some live under water, some can fly, some only crawl and so on.

CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS

Terrestrial animals are those that live on the land, either completely or mostly inside burrows below the surface. "Terre" means earth and terrestrial means "of the earth". Terrestrial animals have various features that enable them to live on land. They have legs to walk. They have well-developed sense organs. Their claws and teeth are very sharp which enables them to catch and eat their prey. For example: Rabbit, Cow, Kangaroo, Cat, dog, Camel.

An aerial animal is any creature that spends time in the air, typically in flight. Their bones are light and hollow to make their movement easy in the air. They fly with the help of wings. For example birds and insects.

Birds have feathers, a beak and no teeth. They eat fruits, nuts, plants, seeds, nectar and various small animals. Do you know that birds also talk to each other and also give signals to their friends. You must have heard the voices of Parrots, Crows and Cuckoos. Some parrots (Macaw) are known to copy our voices.

You must have seen many flies, mosquitos, ants, wasps and grasshoppers at various places in your surroundings. These are all insects. Insects are the most diverse groups of animals on earth. They are found in nearly all environments. Some of these insects can crawl, for example ants, some can fly for example bees and wasps. Have you ever been stung by a wasp? The wasp sting is very painful. You should immediately rush to the doctor in such cases.

Reptiles

Reptiles have scales on their bodies. They are not as slimy as the amphibians. Lizards, snakes, crocodiles, alligators, tortoise and turtle belong to reptile group. Snakes have no legs, they have two teeth called fangs, but they don’t chew food, rather swallow it. Reptiles are cold blooded vertebrates.

Arboreal animals live and dwell in trees. These animals consider trees to be their home base, and find shelter, food and protection from the branches. For example Monkey, Lizards.                                

Aquatic animals live in water. They have streamlined body which helps them to swim easily in water. They have gills as breathing organs. For example Fishes Whales are also aquatic but they have lungs for breathing.

Amphibians are a class of animals that spend part of their life on land and part in water. They breathe through their moist skin when in water and through lungs when on land. For example Frogs.

ANIMALS CAN BE FURTHER DIVIDED INTO

Pet Animals: Pets are animals that people keep in or around, their homes. They include dogs, cats, rabbits and various species of fishes and birds.

Domestic or Farm Animals: Domestic animals are the animals that people keep in their farms or factories for their fur, feathers, milk or meat or perhaps for transportation They include farm animals, such as cattle, horses sheep chickens, bullocks, elephants etc. Some insects, such as bees and silk moths, are also domesticated

Wild Animals: Wild animals are those who live in jungle. These animals are, naturally ferocious, unpredictable and dangerous. If they are captured and put in a zoo, they become zoo animals. For example lion and tiger.

ANOTHER WAY TO CATEGORIZE ANIMALS

Herbivorous animals are animals that mostly feed on grasses, leaves and grains. They have flat, broad, front teeth to cut the leaves and grasses and chew the food with the help of strong back teeth. Some examples are cow, sheep and camel.

Carnivorous animals are those animals that hunt and eat other animals for food. Carnivores have long sharp Pointed front teeth for tearing and ripping flesh. Some examples are lion, tiger, leopard etc.

Omnivorous animals eat both plants and meat. Some examples are human beings, crow, bear etc.

Parasites are tiny group of animals like bacteria, virus and protozoa that live inside or on the bodies of other animals and obtain their food from them.

Amazing Facts

• Fishes breathe through gills; they swim with the help of fins and tail some posses scale all over their body.
• Animals like crab, starfish, prawn and lobsters have hard shell all around their body. They have more than two legs instead of fins.
• Whale and dolphin are mammals and give birth to babies.

ADAPTATION

Adaptations are special characteristics and mechanisms that animals have developed over the years to help them survive in a particular environment.                   

Few examples of the basic adaptations that help the creatures survive are:                              

• shape of a bird's beak,
• the number of fingers,
• colour of the fur,
• the thickness or thinness of the fur,
• the shape of the nose or ears

SOME INTERESTING ADAPTATIONS

• Jellyfishes use tentacles to move around.
• An elephant's trunk is like a hand, it is used for bringing food into the mouth, drinking water, getting foliage from tall trees, etc. The trunk is an elongated nose.
• The porcupine's sharp quills are hardened hair and are used for protection against predators.
• Polar bear have thick layer of fat inside their skin and fur to provide warmth to the body.

Misconcept / Concept

Misconcept: Bats are birds

Concept: Bats are not birds they are mammals as they have no feathers, talons, beaks, or any organ specifically related to birds. The bat’s wings. Bats seem to have the same structure in their wings as the human hand. And, they do not lay eggs, they give birth to babies.