General Characteristics
If an animal has a solid nerve cord, can it be a vertebrate?
No. All chordates (which include vertebrates) have a hollow nerve cord.
Are fish endothermic or ectothermic?
They are ectothermic.
What does bile do?
It takes large drops of fact and breaks them into smaller drops of fat.
If an adult frog somehow injured its lungs so that they couldn't be used anymore, can the frog still survive?
Yes. 90% of its respiration is done through its skin.
What are the two main purposes of a reptile's scales?
They prevent water loss, and they insulate the reptile.
What is the function of red blood cells?
Red blood cells carry oxygen in the blood.
What are the three categories of fishes?
Jawless, cartilaginous, and bony fishes.
Which organ is responsible for the fact that blood sugar is essentially all glucose?
The liver.
Suppose you find a creature in the water that has no lungs or legs but has a tail. This creature also has an endoskeleton made mostly of cartilage. Can it be an amphibian?
No. The endoskeletons of amphibians are made mostly of bone.
What is the name of the membrane that grows around the embryo?
The amnion.
Which lobe(s) in vertebrates control involuntary actions?
The cerebellum.
If a creature lacks jaws, lacks vertebrae, and has a skeleton made of bone, can it be a jawless fish?
No. Jawless fish have skeletons of cartilage.
What is the function of a fish's kidneys?
The kidneys take urea out of the blood.
If you find an earthworm-like creature that has a backbone and skull, doesn't have a tail, and has smooth skin, which order of animals does it most likely belong to?
Name three of the five characteristics that distinguish reptiles from other creatures in creation.
Answers could be any three of the following:
They are covered with tough, dry scales.
They are ectothermic.
They breathe with lungs throughout their lives.
They have a three-chambered heart with a ventricle that is partially divided.
They produce amniotic eggs covered with a leathery shell. Most are oviparous, some are ovoviviparous.
If a fertilized egg has a shell, was it internally or externally fertilized?
It was internally fertilized.
If an adult animal has a notochord, can it be a fish?
Yes. Jawless fishes retain their notochords as adults.
If a living fish sinks to the bottom of the ocean, which organ is not working properly?
The air bladder.
You find an animal that is oviparous, does internal fertilization, and breathes through its skin. Can it be an amphibian?
No. Amphibians do external fertilization.
What is the job of the albumen?
The albumen impedes the growth of pathogens, preventing them from infecting the yolk.
Suppose that the olfactory lobes in a vertebrate were not working properly. Which of the five senses would be most hampered?
The sense of smell.
Which category of fishes have the most inflexible skeletons?
Bony fishes.
If a fish's intestine cannot digest food due to a lack of digestive enzymes, which organ is most likely not working properly?
The pyloric ceca.
Name two differences between frogs and toads.
Frogs have smooth, shiny skin, but toads have dry, bumpy skin. Frogs spend a great deal of time in the water, but toads only go back to the water for reproduction.
An animal has dry skin covered in scales. It is ectothermic. Its heart has a partially divided ventricle. It can breathe through its mouth or its lungs. Can it be a reptile?
No. Reptiles can only breathe through their lungs.