Answer Key - Basic Animal Groups

The animal pictured here is a frog, a type of amphibian. It can easily be concluded that it is neither a mammal or a bird since it does not possess fur (a trait indicative of mammals) or feathers (a trait unique to birds). Additionally, this animal has four legs so it is a tetrapod and all tetrapods are vertebrates (so it is therefore not an invertebrate). The animal in this picture does not possess scales so it is not a reptile or a fish.

Although this animal is not able to fly, don' be fooled, it is indeed a bird. Notice its long shaggy feathers and its beak. Like mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, birds too are tetrapods. They possess a backbone so they are vertebrates. The birds in this picture are ostriches (Struthio camelus).

The key to placing this animal in the correct animal group is its distinctive fur. Fur is a characteristic unique to mammals. Additionally, you might elimanate the other answers based on a few facts. The animal does not have feathers so it is not a bird. It is a tetrapod and therefore not an invertebrate. It has fur so it could not be an amphibian.

As in the previous question, this animal has fur and that is a characteristic unique to mammals. Additionally, you might elimanate the other answers based on a few facts. The animal does not have feathers so it is not a bird. It is a tetrapod and therefore not an invertebrate. It has fur so it could not be an amphibian.

This mighty predator lives in water and has scales and fins. It is a shark, and sharks are fish. They does not have fur, a characteristic of mammals, nor does they have feathers, a characteristic of birds. Sharks and other fish do not have four limbs so we can conclude this animal is neither an amphibian nor a reptile. Since it has a backbone, it is not an invertebrate.