Classification of animals

Classification and taxonomy is an independent branch of biology, which develops the principles of dividing living organisms into certain groups according to external characteristics and the peculiarities of the structure of their organisms. In the common people, under the word "animals" people usually mean mammals, not including in this section birds, fish, insects, etc. In biology, there are five kingdoms of living organisms: the kingdom of Bacteria, the kingdom of protozoa, the kingdom of Mushrooms, the kingdom of plants and the kingdom of animals. . Animals differ from other organisms by heterotrophic nutrition and a mobile way of life.

The classification of the animal world is constructed in such a way that each of its representatives has a type, class, order, family, genus and species.

Types were introduced into science by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier in the early nineteenth century. The classification of animals proposed by the scientists contained four types: vertebrates, mollusks, articulate and radiant. Today there are more than ten types of animals, the most voluminous and widespread of them are chordates.

Classification of animals includes their division into five classes: fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The criteria for classifying a living organism to a particular class are its appearance and certain features of the structure and functioning of organs and systems. So, for example, fish have a one-chambered heart, reptiles - three-chambered, and mammals - four-chambered with a division of blood into arterial and venous. In nature, the classes of animals appeared precisely in the order in which they are named here: the first were fish, and the perfect organisms were mammals led by man.

Further, the classification of animals suggests dividing each class into several groups. There are, for example, a detachment of artiodactyls, a squad of solitary ungulates, a squad of insectivores. In the taxonomy of plants, a similar taxon is not called a detachment, but an order.

The family unites representatives, most similar to each other and having a common ancestor. For example, the cat family includes a cat, a lynx, a tiger, a lion, a jaguar, a leopard, a snow leopard, an ocelot, etc. The dog family combines wolves, coyotes, dogs, foxes,

The family follows the family, and after the species - the species. The species is the smallest unit of taxonomy. The criterion for distinguishing the totality of individuals into a single species is their ability to interbreed among themselves and to give fertile offspring. Sometimes biologists talk about the existence of another feature that allows to recognize the totality of individuals as a single species: they must live within a certain range. However, this feature is formal, the isolation of one individual from the others does not stop its belonging to their species. Separating this feature, the scientists wanted to say that when living individuals of the species in different parts of the globe, its reproduction would be difficult. The mating of individuals of various species often leads to the birth of hybrids, but such hybrids are no longer capable of reproducing themselves.

Classification of animals is done by assigning a name to each new species and determining its belonging to taxa according to morphological and genetic characteristics. The name of the species is written in Latin, so that scientists of different countries would be more comfortable working on studying its populations.

In biology, there are alternative options for taxonomy. The classification of animals presented by Borges was repeatedly discussed by philosophers and biologists. The scheme of the division of animals into groups is absent, but an exhaustive list of the groups themselves is presented. Borges writes that, according to the Chinese encyclopedia, all animals are divided into tame; Belonging to the Emperor; Sirens; Fabulous; Countless; Running like crazy; Stray dogs; Embalmed; Similar from afar to flies; Milk piglets; Broke the flower vase; Painted with the finest brush of camel hair; Included in the classification; Other. This classification of animals is strange and incomprehensible, it is not recognized by science.