>INTRODUCTION
●Animals and their Importance
-The multicellular,eukaryotic and sexually reproducing organisms are known as animals.
-They consume organic material,breathe oxygen and are able to move.
-Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described, of which around 1.05 million are insects, over 85,000 are molluscs, and around 65,000 are vertebrates. It has been estimated there are as many as 7.77 million animal species on Earth.
-They play a very important role in helping environment and human beings in many ways like:
•Providing Food,for example-bees gives honey, cows/buffalo gives us milk, hens lay eggs.
•Help in Transportation,for example-horse,donkey,elephant,camera.
•Dogs prove to be a very good companion.
>TYPES OF ANIMALS
●Mammals
- The warm-blooded,hairy animals supported with a vertebrae(backbone) are known as mammals.
-Their characteristics are as follows:
•Presence of milk producing mammary glands to fees their young ones.
•Presence of neocortex region of brain.
•Presence is three middle ear bones.
-For example-Humans,monkeys,lemur,camels,cats,dogs etc.
●Birds
-The warm-blooded vertebrae with a hollow feathery body are known as birds.
-Their characteristics are as follows:
•Presence of a four chambered heart.
•Presence of a lightweight skeleton.
•Presence of wings.
•Presence of beaked jaws,without tooth.
• They lay hard shell eggs.
•Presence of high metabolic rate.
-Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 5.5 cm (2.2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) common ostrich. There are over 11,000 living species and they are split into 44 orders.
●Reptiles
-The organisms which are cold-blooded,amniotically developed belonging to the group Tetrapods are known as Reptiles.
-Their characteristics are as follows:
•They are tetrapod vertebrates, creatures that either have four limbs or, like snakes, are descended from four-limbed ancestors.
•Most of them are oviparous(egg laying) but are vivparous also like squamatic species,e.g.lizards and snakes.
-They range in size from a tiny gecko, Sphaerodactylus ariasae, which can grow up to 17 mm (0.7 in) to the saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, which can reach over 6 m (19.7 ft) in length and weigh over 1,000 kg (2,200 lb).
●Amphibians
-The cold-blooded,anamniotic and four limbed vertebrates are known as Amphibians.
-Their characteristics are as follows:
•They can inhabit variety of habitats like freshwater,wetlands or terrestrial ecosystem.
•They use their skin as a secondary respiratory interface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin.
•They are the ecological indicators of the habitats.
-The number of known amphibian species is approximately 8,000, of which nearly 90% are frogs. The smallest amphibian in the world is a frog from New Guinea (Paedophryne amauensis) with a length of just 7.7 mm (0.30 in) while the largest living amphibian is the 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) South China giant salamander (Andrias sligoi)
●Fishes
-The cold-blooded,anamniotic and aquatic vertebrae are known as fishes.
-Their characteristics are as follows:
•Presence of gills for breathing.
•Presence of fins for swimming.
•Presence of a hard skull.
•They can be jawless like lamprey or jawed like whales.
•They can be cartilaginous like sawfish or bony like giant sunfish.
-The smallest fish are a few millimeters long, while the largest fish can be over 40 feet long.
-About 96% of all living fish species today are teleosts, a crown group of ray-finned fish that can protrude their jaws.
>ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
●Camouflage
-It is a method of blending into the surroundings to avoid being a prey for predators.
-For example: Chameleons change their color to blend with the environment.
Arctic Foxes have thick white fur helping them to blend in the snow.
●Migration
- The seasonal movement of animals from one place to another in search for a better habitat to suit their body type.
-For example:Flamingo migrate from southern Russia to Koelado national park in Rajasthan.
Emperor Penguins migrate in April from Antarctica.
●Hibernation
- It is a method of conserving energy by slowing down their metabolic rate when sufficient food is not available.
-For example:Bears hibernate for months without eating,drinking or excreting.
Ground squirrels hibernate in underground burrows from fall to late winter.
>IMPORTANCE OF ANIMALS
●Ecosystem balance
They help in maintaining the balance by acting as pollinators,scavengers,prey and decomposers.
●Food source
The food provided by animals are rich in protein and fat and can become a part of our nutritious deit. For example- meat,eggs,milk and honey.
●Companionship
Their Companionship helps in reducing stress,anxiety and depression by increasing the feeling of joy and well-being.
>THREATS TO ANIMALS
● Habitat destruction
It is a process in which a particular natural habitat is not able tro support the species that live there. It can be caused by human activities,natural disasters and certain environmental factors.
● Poaching
The illegal hunting or capturing of animals in their natural habitat for killing them later to use their body parts for trade which ultimately leads to the extinction of species and the loss of biodiversity.
● Climate change
A sudden change in climate can lead to food scarcity like at high temperature animals face shortage of food.
>CONSERVATION EFFORTS
●Protected areas
●Endangered species protection
●Sustainable practices
●Education and awareness
>CONCLUSION
As we come to the close of our animal adventure, these are the things that always get me by the throat of any and all animals. Whether from the giant lions in the savannah, small insects which pollinate our crops—animals are critical to the balance of our ecosystem
Animals are simply amazing in their variety and ability to adapt, for the fact that you can find them pretty much anywhere on earth! They are also intricately involved with human history, having been sources of food and clothing as well as the inspiration behind art and culture.
But many animal groups are under threat like never before, from habitat loss and climate change through to poaching and human-wildlife conflict. It is our duty to do what we can to preserve and protect animal species, their homes.
Working together to resolve these challenges will help assure the survival of animal species and planet earth into the future.
There are many things we can learn from animals such as resilience, adaptability and knowing the value of coexistence with nature too
Looking into the future, let us think on our knees and see how lucky we are to have so many different kinds of animal alive on earth. We must understand the importance of flora and fauna in parameters to sustain our planet so let us help their conservation for next batches of humans.