What are the Salient features of different phyla of the Animal Kingdom?
1. Diverse habitats – Iceland, grasslands, deserts, polar ice caps, mountains, forests, dark caves
2. Two pairs of limbs adapted for various activities like walking, running, swimming, flying, climbing, burrowing
3. Characteristic feature – To be able to secrete milk from mammary glands which are used for nourishing its offspring.
4. Another characteristic feature is the presence of unique body hair
5. External ear or pinnae is present. Different types of teeth for different functions are present in the jaws.
6. Respiration is by the lungs.
7. Warm-blooded animals with four-chambered hearts.
8. Mammals are dioecious and viviparous with few exceptions. Fertilization is internal with direct development.
9. Examples of organisms belonging to the class mammalian – Felis (Cat), Macropus (kangaroo), Homo (Humans), Ornithorhynchus (Platypus – oviparous)
A. Ornithorhynchus B. Macropus