Taxonomy

Contents

Key Stage 2

Meaning

Classification of living things is done to make it easier to identify different creatures.

About Grouping Living Things

Living things can be classified in different ways.

Scientists usually classify things by common features or common behaviour.

Examples

Vertebrates and Invertebrates

A vertebrate is an animal with a backbone.

An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone.

All of these animals have a backbone so they examples of vertebrates.

Amphibians are vertebrates.	Birds are vertebrates.	Fish are vertebrates.	Mammals are vertebrates.	Reptiles are vertebrates.

None of these animals have a backbone so they are examples of invertebrates.

Snails are invertebrates.	Earthworms are invertebrates.	Scorpions are invertebrates.	Octopuses are invertebrates.	Flies are invertebrates.

Flowering Plants and other Plants

Flowering Plants are plants that grow flowers.

Not all plants grow flowers. There are also Mosses, Ferns and Conifers which don't grow flowers.

There are 4 main groups of plants.

Flowering Plants.	Coniferous Plants.	Mosses	Ferns