Characteristic Features of the Vertebrate Groups

Class - Cold/Warm blooded - Skin - Limbs - Gaseous exchange - Reproduction/ parental care

• Fishes e.g tilapia - Cold blooded - Covered with scales and slime - Limbs modified into fins - Through gills - Fertilization is external; eggs are laid in water; young look like adults; parental care rare

• Amphibians e.g toads, frogs - Cold blooded - Soft and moist - Two forelegs and two hind legs - Through gills in young; skin and lungs in adults - Fertilization is external; eggs are laid in water; complicated life cycle where young look different from adults; no parental care

• Reptiles e.g. lizards - Cold blooded - Coveted with dry scales - Two forelegs and two hind legs with toes ending in claws - Through lungs - Fertilization is internal; eggs with shells are laid on land and hatch into young which look like adults; no parental care

• Birds e.g. pigeons, hens - Warm blooded - Covered with feathers (scales on feet) - Forelimbs modified into wings; hind legs with toes ending in claws - Through lungs - Fertilization is internal; eggs with shells are laid on land and hatch into young which look like adults; parental care present in most

• Mammals e.g rabbits, goats, lions, humans - Warm blooded - Covered with hair (fur) - Two forelegs and two hind legs ending in claws - Through lungs - Fertilization is internal; young develop in mother body and are born alive; parental care with young feeding on milk secreted by the mother's mammary glands.