Invertebrates


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Invertebrates

Invertebrates: Invertebrates are animals lacking a backbone. Invertebrates are by far the most numerous animals on the earth. Nearly 2 million species have been identified to date. These 2 million species make up about 98 percent of all the animals identified in the entire animal kingdom. Some scientists believe that the true number of invertebrate species may be as high as 100 million and that the work of identifying and classifying invertebrate life has only just begun.

Invertebrates live in a vast range of habitats, from forests and deserts to caves and seabed mud. In oceans and lakes they form part of the plankton - an immense array of miniature living organisms that drift in the surface currents. Invertebrates are also found in the soil beneath our feet and in the air above our heads. Some are powerful fliers, using wings to propel themselves, but others, particularly the smallest invertebrates, float on the slightest breeze. These tiny invertebrates form clouds of aerial plankton that drift unseen through the skies. Although the majority of invertebrates are small, a few reach impressive sizes.

Physical Characteristics: Due to their numbers and variety, invertebrates share only a single trait: the absence of a backbone. Many invertebrates have no hard body parts at all. These soft-bodied invertebrates, which include earthworms, keep their shape by maintaining an internal pressure, similar to the air pressure within an inflated balloon. However, having a soft body has disadvantages, one of which is that it leaves animals vulnerable to attack from predators.

To detend against predators, other invertebrates have evolved exoskeletons, hard outer coverings such as he shells found in clams and molluscs, and the body cases that surround adult insects. Besides protecting the animal, these exoskeletons also provide anchorage for muscles. Arthropods, animals with a hard, outer skeleton and a jointed body and limbs, make up the single largest group of invertebrates. Arthropods include insects, crustaceans, and arachnids, such as spiders and ticks.

Invertebrates differ from each other internally in a wide variety of ways. Some have respiratory organs,circulatory systems, and excretory organs for getting rid of waste. The simplest invertebrates survive with fews or no specialised organs at all. These animals absorb what they need from their surroundings-a way of life that works only in watery habitats and only with small animals.

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