Classifying Animals

Wild or Domesticated

    An animal is generally considered  any living organism other than a plant. Sometimes there is confusion about whether animals are wild or domesticated.
    Domesticated animals are those animals that humans have tamed, kept in captivity, and bred for special purposes. Cattle used for food, sheep for wool, dogs, cats, birds, and fish commonly held as pets are all domesticated animals.

     
                                        Pygmy goats have been domesticated since 7500 B.C.
    Wildlife is any animal that lives in a basically free condition, providing its own food, shelter, and other needs in a suitable habitat. It is not tamed or domesticated. Sometimes individual animals may be tamed, like the animals in the zoo, but most of their numbers are wild. A wild animal may appear to be tame, but still should be considered wild unless it is both tamed and domesticated.
This cougar was being kept as a pet at someone's house until the police and S.P.C.A. confiscated him in 1992 and brought him to the zoo.

     If you should have any question whether an animal is wild or domesticated, just remember that wild animals usually take care of themselves and domesticated animals depend on people to feed and take care of them.

Native or Non-Native

    Animals that have originally lived in a certain area are called native. Animals that have been introduced into an area either intentionally or by accident are called non-native. Both good things and bad things have happened when non-native species have been introduced into an area.
    Did you see any animals at the zoo that are:
native to Delaware?
native to the U.S.?
native to South America?

Vertebrates or Invertebrates

    Animals may also be grouped according to their structure into two groups -  vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrates are animals with backbones and invertebrates are animals without backbones. All the animals at the zoo have backbones, so they are called vertebrates. There are five different classes of vertebrates - fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
    Brandywine Zoo has three of the classes. Which are they?

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    Name 5 different reptiles, 5 birds, and 5 mammals at the zoo.

reptiles                                           birds                                               mammals
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    How do reptiles, birds, and mammals differ from one another?

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