• Question from:sara

Is there somewhere i could get a wall chart or a webpage that I could visit that lists all of the animal groups? I have seen the tree of life webpage but it is way to complicated for me, I was hoping for something more general.

Photo
  • Horniman Museum, London, UK
  • Posts: 964

Hi Sara, the problem is that there are LOTS of animals groups, so it is hard to find a resource that isn't too complicated. Wikipedia is a useful resource (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animalia - check out the list on the right hand side, just below the pictures), because it has links to each group that explains what they are, the trouble is the terminology for higher-level taxonomic groups is not what you come across everyday (unless you're a zoologist).

If you have some time I would recommend just browsing through and getting familiar with some of the names (it won't take as long as you think!).

Here's a list to help you grasp where the main groups are:
Porifera = sponges
Radiata = jellyfish, corals and sea anemones
Chordata - contains the vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals)
Echinodermata = starfish, sea-urchins, sea-lillies, etc.
Arthropoda - contains hexapods (insects), crustaceans (crabs, etc), chelicerates (spiders, etc), myriapods (centipedes etc.)
Mollusca = molluscs (snails, octopus, sea-shells, etc.)
Annelida - contains earthworms, leaches etc.

If I come across anything that might be more understandable I'll post it here for you.

Hope this helps!