Classification Lab Name: Period: Date: / / Using the classification key of animals with backbones, classify each of the animals shown in Figure 1. Classification Key for animals with backbones (vertebrates) If an animal has a backbone, the following key can be used to find the Class to which it belongs. 1 A Lives only in water (go to 2) B Does not live only in water (go to 3) 2 A Body covered with scales Class: Fish B Body not covered in scales (go to 3) 3 A Skin is coated with mucus Class: Amphibians B Skin is not coated with mucus (go to 4) 4 A Body covered with scales Class: Reptiles B Body not covered with scales (go to 5) 5 A Body covered with feathers Class: Birds B Body not covered with feathers (go to 6) 6 A Female has mammary glands (glands that produce mild to feed young) Class: Mammals B Female does not have mammary glands (error start over) 1. List the animals under the correct classification Fish Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals 2. What characteristic do biologists look for if they believe an animal may be a mammal? 3. If an animal has scales, is that enough information to tell you what Class it belongs in? Explain.
Classify the States In this activity, you are to classify certain states in the United States using a taxonomic key. A taxonomic, or classification, key is a listing of specific characteristics. To identify the states, you will use the map of the United States in Figure 2. Read each phrase and follow the directions given. Write the name of the state on the line provided. Choose your answers from the following list. Arkansas Kentucky New York California Louisiana North Carolina Colorado Minnesota Tennessee Illinois Missouri Wisconsin Iowa Mississippi A Taxonomic Key 1 2 3 A. Borders on the Mississippi River Go to 2 B. Does not border on the Mississippi River Go to 11 A. Begins with the letter M Go to 3 B. Does not begin with the letter M Got to 5 A. Shares a border with Tennessee Got to 4 B. Does not share a border with Tennessee 4 A. Its capital is Jackson B. Its capital is not Jackson 5 6 A. Has 8 or more letters in its name Got to 6 B. Has fewer than 8 letters in its name A. Entire state lies south of the 40 degrees latitude Go to 7 B. Entire state does not lie south of 40 degrees latitude Go to 10
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 A. Borders on the Gulf of Mexico B. Does not border on the Gulf of Mexico A. Is east of the Mississippi River B. Is west of the Mississippi River A. Is nicknamed the Volunteer State B. Is not nicknamed the Volunteer State A. Is well-known for its dairy products B. Is not well-known for its dairy products A. Was one of the 13 original colonies B. Was not one of the 13 original colonies A. Borders on the Great Lakes B. Does not border on the Great Lakes A. Contains the Sierra Nevada Mountains B. Does not contain the Sierra Nevada Mountains Go to 8 Go to 9 Got to 12 Got to 13
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Classification Key for Extinct Animals Use the information on Figure 3 and the dichotomous key below to fill in the blanks and questions below. A. Is endothermic (warm-blooded) Go to 2 B. Is ectothermic (cold-blooded) Go to 6 A. Has feathers Go to 3 B. Has hair or fur Got to 4 A. Has narrow, straight beak B. Has wide, crooked beak A. Has horns Got to 5 B. Has no horns A. Horns have many branches B. Horns have no branches A. Breathes with gills Go to 7 B. Breathes with lungs Go to 8 A. Has large, fan-shaped fins just behind the head B. Has small pectoral fins A. Has scaly skin Go to 9 B. Has smooth skin A. Has front and hind legs B. Has no legs 1. Reptiles are cold-blooded(ectothermic), have scaly skin, and breathe with lungs. Which of the animals in Figure 3 are reptiles? 2. The Palestinian painted frog is an amphibian. How are amphibians different from reptiles? 3. Mammals are warm-blooded (endothermic), have hair or fur, breathe with lungs, and give birth to live young. Which of the animals in Figure 3 are mammals? 4. The two classes of vertebrates that are warm-blooded are the birds and mammals. Which animals in Figure 3 are birds? 5. Which of the following pairs of vertebrate groups are most like each other (share the most characteristics)? Circle your choice. a. Birds and fishes b. Reptiles and mammals c. Amphibians and reptiles d. Fishes and mammals
Use the table below to identify the 6 leaf samples. Dichotomous Key for Leaves Questions Yes No 1. Is the leaf blade made up of small leaflets? 2. Is the leaf blade long and narrow? 3. Is the leaf blade cut into lobes? The leaf is a green ash. Go to 2. The leaf is a black willow. Go to 3 Go to 4. Go to 5. 4. Are the lobes pointed? This leaf is a silver maple. The leaf is a white oak. 5. Is the leaf heart shaped? The leaf is a cottonwood. The leaf is an American elm.
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