The Animal Kingdom - Vertebrates and Invertebrates

Custom Search

About Animals:

Animal Kingdom

Animal Videos

There are many different types of animals in the world. Many animals are quite similar to each other. Others are quite different. Animals can be classified based on their similarities. Continue on, and learn more about your fellow Earth inhabitants.

Here are some of the animals you can investigate in our Science Reference Library. The first name you read is the common name for the animal. The name in parentheses ( ) is the Latin word for the group (the phylum or subphylum or class or group or order) that scientists sometimes use to refer to animals.

Invertebrates Animals without a Backbone or Spinal Column:	Vertebrates Animals with a Backbone or Spinal Column: (All these animals are in the phyla Chordata and the subphyla Vertebrata.)
Protozoa (phyla: protozoa)	Fish (group: Pisces)
Echinoderms such as starfish (phyla: Echinodermata)	Amphibians such as frogs (class: Amphibia)
Annelids such as earthworms (phyla: Annelida)	Reptiles such as crocodiles (class: Reptilia)
Mollusks such as octopus (phyla: Mollusca)	Birds (class: Aves)
Arthropods such as crabs, spiders and insects (phyla: Arthropoda)	Mammals (class: Mammalia)
Crustaceans such as crabs (subphyla: Crustacea)	Marsupials such as kangaroos (order: Marsupialia)
Arachnids such as spiders (subphyla: Chelicerata class: Arachnida)	Primates such as gorillas and chimpanzees (order: Primates)
Insects (subphyla: Uniramia class: Insecta)	Rodents such as mice (order: Rodentia)
	Cetaceans such as whales and dolphins ( order: Cetacea)
	Animals such as seals (order: Carnivora family: Phocidae)

For more information about animals, see our Animal Video Collection.

Web Sites about Classifying Animals:

Animals at Animal Kingdom

Animal Diversity at University of Michigan

The Taxon Lift at the University of California Museum of Paleontology

Tree of Life at University of Arizona