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Chapter: 03. Kingdom Animalia

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CHAPTER 3: KINGDOM ANIMALIA - CRASH COURSE NOTES

1. Introduction to Kingdom Animalia

Kingdom Animalia contains multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that do not possess chlorophyll (nongreen).

Characteristic Features:

Cellular Structure: Multicellular eukaryotes whose cells lack a cell wall.
Nutrition: Heterotrophic (cannot manufacture their own food; feed on plants, animals, or both).
Locomotion: Most animals are motile and move from place to place for food, shelter, and protection.
Growth: Show limited growth that halts after reaching maturity.
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2. Invertebrates vs. Vertebrates

Based on the absence or presence of a vertebral column (backbone), animals are classified into two broad groups:
Invertebrates
Vertebrates
Backbone is absent.
Backbone is present.
Internal skeleton of bones is absent.
Internal bony skeleton is present.
A true tail is absent.
Tail is usually present.
Limbs are either absent or occur as three, four, or many pairs.
Possess only two pairs of limbs.
Examples: Worms, Cockroach, Butterfly, Snail, Starfish.
Examples: Fishes, Frogs, Lizards, Birds, Mammals.
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3. Phyla of Invertebrates (Animals without Backbones)

I. Porifera (Pore-bearing Animals: Sponges)

Key Features:
Body is covered in tiny pores to draw water in.
Features a single large opening at the top (osculum) to expel water.
Mostly marine; a few live in freshwater. Found attached to sea or pond bottoms.
Examples: Sycon, Spongilla (freshwater sponge), Euspongia (bath sponge).

II. Coelenterata / Cnidaria (Hollow Sac-like Animals)

Key Features:
Aquatic, mostly marine animals. Can be free-floating or attached.
Hollow, sac-like body containing only one opening (the mouth).
The mouth is surrounded by finger-like structures called tentacles used to capture food.
Examples: Hydra (freshwater), Sea anemone, Jellyfish, Corals.

III. Platyhelminthes (Flatworms)

Key Features:
Thin, soft, and flattened (ribbon-like) body.
No body cavity is present.
Body is divided into multiple segments.
Mostly live as parasites inside host animals.
Examples: Liverfluke, Planaria, Blood fluke, Tapeworm.
Note on Tapeworm: Parasite in human intestines; can reach up to 5 meters in length. Absorbs digested food via its body segments.

IV. Nemathelminthes / Nematoda / Aschelminthes (Roundworms)

Key Features:
Long, cylindrical, and unsegmented bodies; some are thread-like.
Live as parasites inside animal and human bodies, causing diseases.
Examples: Ascaris (Roundworm), Hookworms, Threadworms.

V. Annelida (Segmented Worms / True Worms)

Key Features:
Soft, segmented, and bilaterally symmetrical body.
Possess a true body cavity and a well-developed alimentary canal.
Excretion occurs through specialized organs called nephridia.
Locomotion occurs via parapodia or setae.
Examples: Earthworm, Leech.
Why is the Earthworm the “Farmer’s Friend”? Its burrowing and soil-feeding habits make the soil porous, improving aeration and water absorption, thereby increasing soil fertility.

VI. Arthropoda (Animals with Jointed Limbs)

Key Features:
The largest phylum; body is divided into three parts: head, thorax, and abdomen.
Protected by a tough, chitinous exoskeleton.
Equipped with paired and jointed legs.
Classification of Arthropods:
Crustaceans: Fused head and thorax; many jointed legs. Examples: Prawn, Crab, Shrimp, Lobster.
Insects: Body divided into head, thorax, and abdomen; 3 pairs of legs; typically 2 pairs of wings. Examples: Housefly, Butterfly, Mosquito, Cockroach.
Arachnids: Fused head and thorax; 6 pairs of appendages (including 4 pairs of walking legs); no wings. Examples: Spider, Scorpion, Tick.
Myriapods: Long, multi-segmented body; each segment has 1 pair (Centipedes) or 2 pairs (Millipedes) of legs.

VII. Mollusca (Soft-bodied Animals)

Key Features:
Mainly aquatic (mostly marine) animals.
Soft, unsegmented bodies typically enclosed in a hard shell.
Equipped with a muscular foot used for locomotion.
Examples: Octopus, Pond snail, Garden snail, Pearl oyster.

VIII. Echinodermata (Spiny-skinned Animals)

Key Features:
Rough, spiny, and usually star-like body.
Distinct head and tail are absent.
Examples: Starfish, Sea urchin.
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4. Classes of Vertebrates (Animals with Backbones)

I. Pisces (Fishes)

Key Features:
Strictly aquatic, cold-blooded animals.
Streamlined body shapes and fins to assist swimming.
Respire through gills.
Possess a two-chambered heart.
Examples: Catla, Shark, Seahorse, Rohu, Electric ray, Mahasheer.

II. Amphibia

Key Features:
Can live both on land and in water.
Cold-blooded with slimy, slippery skin.
Possess a three-chambered heart.
Breathe through lungs on land and moist skin in water (larvae use gills).
Must return to water to lay eggs.
Examples: Frog, Salamander, Toad.

III. Reptilia

Key Features:
Mainly terrestrial, cold-blooded vertebrates.
Skin is dry and covered with scales.
Two pairs of limbs; digits end in claws.
Respire through lungs.
Possess a three-chambered heart (except crocodiles, which have four chambers).
Lay large, leathery, yolky eggs on land.
Examples: Snake, Crocodile, Lizard, Tortoise.

IV. Aves (Birds)

Key Features:
Warm-blooded (homoiothermic) aerial animals.
Body is covered with feathers; forelimbs are modified into wings.
Jaws lack teeth and are modified into a horny beak.
Possess a four-chambered heart.
Lay hard-shelled, yolky eggs.
Examples: Pigeon, Sparrow, Peacock, Parrot, Crow, Owl, Ostrich.

V. Mammalia (Milk-nourishing Animals)

Key Features:
Warm-blooded animals with bodies covered in hair.
Possess external ear structures (pinnae).
Females have milk-producing mammary glands to nourish their young.
Give birth to live young ones (viviparous).
Possess a four-chambered heart.
Examples: Elephant, Giraffe, Kangaroo, Bat, Tiger, Cow, Human beings.
Crucial Mammalian Facts:
Whales and dolphins are marine mammals, not fish.
The bat is the only mammal capable of true flight.
The Blue Whale is the largest animal on Earth; the Elephant is the largest land animal.
Female kangaroos give birth to premature young and carry them in an abdominal pouch called a marsupium.
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PlantUML Mindmap

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PlantUML Diagram
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