Biology Basics: How Animals Reproduce

Two types of two-parent reproduction (sexual) and two types of one parent reproduction (aseuxual) are seen in animals. It seems crazy to think that animals can reproduce with only one parent, but with more simple creatures like worms and jellyfish, it happens!

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Two-parents Reproduction

Two parent reproduction ensures genetic variation in each new offspring. This makes for unique traits of each young, and allows for greater protection from disease. However the animals must find a mate in order to have new babies. The two types of two-parent reproduction are live birth and eggs.

Birds are the first thing I think of when I think of animals laying eggs. But many other animals lay eggs, too. Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish, and many invertebrates lay eggs. In fact, only Mammals give live birth!

One-Parent Reproduction

Most animals that reproduce asexually are simple creatures like invertebrates, like worms, jellyfish, and sea stars.  Fragmentation and Budding can also be called cloning, because the offspring are identical to the parents. The advantage to asexual reproduction is that these animals can reproduce even if they cannot find a mate. However the offspring that are created have identical genetic information as the parent, and therefore one disease can kill off an entire population of cloned animals. They can also reproduce much quicker, but that means they can easily overpopulate and compete for resources.

These fascinating methods of reproduction make for some fascinating animal baby stories. Enjoy the PDF for more info!

Vertebrates- Animals with Backbones

Enjoy the FREE printable vertebrate packet more fun illustrations, a poster, study guide, and short quiz!

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See these animals giving one another a back rub? They are all vertebrates. Vertebrates are animals with backbones (vertebrae). The 5 classes of vertebrates are: Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals, and Birds.

Fish (Gills, Fins, Scales, Cold Blooded)

Fish are the only group of vertebrates that live entirely in water. All of them have gills, which is special breathing tissue that allows fish to breathe oxygen underwater. Fish have fins which help them paddle and maneuver through water. They also have scales that protect their bodies like armor. You can actually determine the age of fish by counting the rings on their scales! Fish are cold blooded animals which means their blood becomes cooler or hotter depending on the temperature of the water. Fish will swim slowly below the ice during winter, or even sleep in icy waters. Some fish actually produce antifreeze molecules called glycoprotein that keep their bodies from freezing in really cold temperatures!

Amphibians (Slimy skin, Metamorphosis, Four Legs, Cold Blooded) 

Amphibians like frogs, toads, and salamanders are born in water and develop the ability to live on land. This means almost all amphibians will go through metamorphosis. (Think of how tadpoles become frogs.) Most are born with gills and then develop lungs and four legs, though caecilians do not have legs. They have permeable, wet, slimy skin that absorbs water and oxygen, and usually have webbed feet. Amphibian eggs have no shell, but are covered in a jelly-like substance. Amphibians are also cold blooded, so they are quick and active when it is warm, but slow and sluggish when it is cold.

Reptiles (Scales, Eggs, Four Legs, Cold blooded)

Reptiles like turtles, snakes, crocodilians, and lizards are covered with scales, and usually have claws. Reptiles are cold blooded creatures and lay eggs. They are tetrapods, meaning they have four legs, or in the case of snakes, “descended” from creatures with four legs. Interestingly there are a number of snake fossils with legs, and some pythons have vestiges of legs. 

Mammals (Hair, Milk, Live Birth, Warm blooded)

Mammals can be bears, bunnies, or even whales. Mammals give birth to live young. Mammals get their names from mammary glands that produce milk to feed their newborn babies. All mammals have hair or fur that helps them maintain their warm blooded bodies. All mammals have lungs and breathe air, so most mammals live on land, but some live in the sea. These marine animals include pinnipeds (seals, sea lions), cetaceans (whales, porpoises), sea otters, sirenians (manatees), and polar bears.

Birds (Feathers, Beak, Eggs)

Birds can be as tiny as a hummingbird or as large as an ostrich. All birds have feathers, though not all of them fly. Penguins have feathers, but they swim. Ostriches and emus have large feathers, but their sternum is not attached to their pectoral muscles, making them too weak to fly. All birds have a beak. Beaks come in many shapes and sizes, and are used for different purposes, including tearing meat, breaking seeds, sipping nectar, fishing, or finding and eating insects.

For more fun consider studying:

• Different types of feathers

• Four types of fish scales (Placoid, Cosmoid, Ganoid, Cycloid)

• Explore reptiles!

• Go find some frogs at your local pond! Be sure to wash your hands…

• Try making a list of the mammals that live in your neighborhood. Or try one of these cool ideas!

• Visit the local pet shop and see if you can identify what creatures belong in which vertebrate class!

Life Science Set

Check out the new book and posters!

Biology Basics: Invertebrates

Invertebrates are definitely some of the weirdest, creepiest, slimiest and most interesting creatures on earth. Worms, bugs, octopus and jellyfish all fall into the category of inveterate animals. When looking at the classification of the animal kingdom, there are 9 major phylum, and 8 of these are invertebrates! These 8 phylum, or body-type classifications are sponges, stinging cell animals, three groups of worms (flat, round, segmented), mollusks, echinoderms (also known as sea stars), and arthropods.

One of the best parts about studying invertebrates is the ease of finding them in your own backyard. Many of the invertebrates are easy to find if you just dig in your garden, or even, heaven forbid, look in your basement! If your kids have the courage, they can handle the creepy creatures and study them first hand- literally!

I’ve attached a handy dandy printable with a poster, study guide, and a quiz. Hope you enjoy this invertebrate study tool!

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Biology Basics: Kingdoms

As a homeschool mom, I have delved into the world of science with some particular aims in mind, specifically feeding curiosity, developing admiration in the beauty and design of creation, and finding the fun! Sometimes learning terms mean very little to young ones, and I hope to inspire both memory and understanding by creating visuals that are sticky for kids brains. By sticky I mean, let's make it stick!

You are welcome to download our FREE handy-dandy PDF with a little poster of playful visuals, facts that explain the terms, and a mini quiz to help with little minds recall what they learn. 

Here is some information you might want to know about these 6 Kingdoms of living things!

Animalia is the kingdom of animals. Animals include invertebrates like insects, and vertebrates like mammals and birds. Six important aspects of animals are: 
1.     Animals are multicellular, which means they have many cells.
2.     Animal cells do not have cell walls. 
3.    Animals consume food. 
4.    Almost every animal reproduce sexually.
5.    Animals are able to move at some time during their life.
6.    Animals have nervous systems and respond to the things they sense around them. 

Plantae is the kingdom of plants. Important characteristics of plants are:
1.     Plants are multicellular.
2.     Plant cells have cells walls and unique organelles.
3.     Plants produce food through a process called photosynthesis. 
4.     Plants usually can’t move because they are rooted to one place. 
5.     Plants reproduce sexually or asexually. Some reproduce with seeds through pollination, others through spores, or even asexually as with rhizomes or tubers.  

Fungi are multicellular decomposers like mold, moss, and mushrooms, but a few of them can be single-celled, like yeast. Fungi digest their food outside themselves and then absorb it. This process decomposes dead things and turns them into useful things like soil. They do not produce food through photosynthesis like plants do, so they don’t need light!

 Protista has the sound "tea" in it and has a large variety of organisms that all fit into one pot, or kingdom, that is. Most are single-celled organisms, but some have many cells, like algae. Protista have a nucleus, organelles, and sometimes chloroplasts. Some can move with little hair-like things called cilia, or tail-like flagella. They get their food either through photosynthesis like plants do, ingestion like animals do, or both! 

Archaea (has the sound ark in the beginning!) are single-celled organisms, meaning they are so tiny they cannot be seen without a microscope. Archaea do not have a nucleus and can live through all sorts of extreme conditions and temperatures. 

Bacteria are single-celled organisms that have a cell wall, but they do not have organelles or an organized nucleus. Some are helpful, such as producing vitamins or food. Others are harmful and cause disease, so wash your hands before you eat just in case you picked up some unhelpful bacteria!

Enjoy your free resource from Jolie Canoli, and stop by again- there's more to come!