Invertebrate Characteristics

All animals that by their nature do not have a backbone and their respective vertebrae are called invertebrates, if we classify these animals it would be as follows:

1. Arthropods
2. Echinoderms
3. Worms
4. Jellyfish
5. Mollusks
6. Poriferous

The primary classification of invertebrates was carried out by a French naturalist called "Jean Baptiste Lamarck", he was given the task of classifying the animals by observing the invertebrate characteristics.

Classification and characteristics of invertebrates:

Arthropods.- Arthropods are the most abundant members of the animal kingdom, here all insects with exoskeletons as well as articulated legs are included; they are such a high number that they are close to two million already classified and it is possible that there are more unclassified. These animals are subsequently subdivided into subclasses that have the same "Joints" characteristic, although they can be aquatic or terrestrial.

• Arachnids.- In these, their body is divided into two sections, a thorax that includes the head (cephalothorax) and its abdomen, by its nature no arachnid has antennae or wings; Their diet is generally carnivorous, meaning that they eat insects or other arachnids. Its legs are always eight and among the arachnids is the scorpion (also called scorpion), another aspect to highlight in the arachnids is that all are poisonous, as they have a type of toxin that serves to paralyze their prey and in some cases can be lethal to older animals size and even for the human being, its mouth is made of two nail-shaped tweezers that serve to cut and suck the nutrients from its dams.
  instagram story viewer
• Crustaceans.- Crustaceans are of an aquatic regime, they have a subdivision similar to the arachnid because they have cephalothorax and abdomen, they have antennae and gills to breathe, this regardless of whether they are amphibians, also have six legs of which the two first they can have claws, they feed on other living beings that can be small fish, shrimp (which are also crustaceans) and insects.
• Insects.- Unlike the previous insects, they are divided into three parts, since they usually have a head, thorax and abdomen, they have wings and can fly although They are also usually terrestrial, the insects can be solitary or form colonies that are very orderly as with ants, bees, wasps and termites. Their diet can be carnivorous (other insects), or herbivorous, among the insects we can include butterflies that have six legs like other insects, but must be separated or reclassified to the caterpillars, which have twelve legs and are subdivided out of the "lepidoptera" where are the butterflies and some pigeons.
• Myriapods.- The myriapods are known as centipedes or millipedes, these are divided into head and trunk, account with antennae and do not have wings in each segment of their body are two legs and their respiration is by way of windpipes.

Echinoderms.- These are a series of animals that only exist in the sea, they are called "deuterostomes”, We can also identify them as starfish. Their physical structure is very harmonic or symmetrical, and they are capable of swimming at very low speed and climbing, their feeding is by absorbing the nutrients that are around it or resting on its food.

They reproduce through sexual contact, but there are some species that can reproduce through a segment of theirs, due to the fact that their cellular reconstruction is very accelerated.

Worms.- These invertebrates have an elongated, cylindrical or flat body, they do not have developed legs although some have something similar and their body is also very soft because they do not have an exoskeleton, their body is generally made up of small rings, some worms are unicellular.

Jellyfish.- These are exclusively marine animals, they are considered invertebrates even though they have a vertebra, their appearance is somewhat grotesque and their reproduction is oviparous. These animals are highly toxic or poisonous.

Mollusks.- These are animals that have a soft body, these have a shell that can be inside or outside depending on the variety, these animals are basically divided into three:

1. Gastropods.- In these mollusks their shell is in one piece, and the eyes protrude and is characteristic of snails, their respiration is through gills and they are marine animals.
2. Bivalos.- These animals are invertebrates with a shell made up of two segments, they are also marine and their respiration is by gills.
3. Cephalopods.- Cephalopods are well known mollusks because in this category are octopuses and squid.

Poriferous.- These are also called sponges, they are invertebrates and have great similarities with plants, they do have a kind of skeleton that is made of calcium, its diet is through the absorption of water and microscopic entities found there, its nature and habitat is marine where it is attached to plants and rocks to obtain the food that required.