WHHHHHAAAATTTT!!!!!

DOGS

They are carnivorous, domesticated mammal (Canis familiaris) of the family Canidae, to which the wolf, jackal, and fox also belong. The family Canidae is sometimes loosely referred to as the dog family, and its characteristics, e.g., long muzzle, large canine teeth, and long tail, as canine traits. However, the term dog usually refers only to the domestic species Canis familiaris. Two characteristics distinguish the dog from other tic. The second is the enormous amount of genetic variability found within the species. For example, the Irish wolfhound may stand as high as 39 in. (99.1 cm) at the shoulder, while the Chihuahua's shoulder is usually no more than 6 in. (15.2 cm) from the ground; the silky coat of the Yorkshire terrier may be 2 ft (61 cm) long, while a few breeds of dog (such as the Mexican hairless) are entirely wit hout hair. The evolution of such widely differing breeds has been heavily influenced by conscious human selection, in addition to natural evolution.Two characteristics distinguish the dog from other canids and, indeed, from all other species of animal life. The first is its worldwide distribution in close association with humans, encompassing both hemispheres from the tropics to the Arctic. The second is the enormous amount of genetic variability found within the species. For example, the Irish wolfhound may stand as high as 39 in. (99.1 cm) at the shoulder, while the Chihuahua's shoulder is usually no more than 6 in. (15.2 cm) from the ground; the silky coat of the Yorkshire terrier may be 2 ft (61 cm) long, while a few breeds of dog (such as the Mexican hairless) are entirely without hair. The evolution of such widely differing breeds has been heavily influenced by conscious human selection, in addition to natural evolution. Dogs have been selectively bred through the centuries for special purposes, notably to pursue and retrieve game, as draft animals, as guides (e.g., for the blind), and as companions. Although dogs possess hearing abilities far superior to humans', their acute sense of smell is probably the sense most utilized. In addition to traditional hunting and tracking, the dog's sense of smell has been put to such diverse uses as the location of exotic foods and the detection of drugs and explosives, e.g., in luggage and packages.

CATS

The name applied broadly to the carnivorous mammals constituting the family Felidae, and specifically to the domestic cat, Felis catus. The great roaring cats, the lion, tiger, and leopard are anatomically very similar to one another and constitute the genus Panthera, which also includes the jaguar and, in some systems, the snow leopard. The clouded leopard, Neofelis, and the cheetah, Acinonyx, are big cats that, like the jaguar and snow leopard, do not roar. The medium-sized and small cats are classified by different zoologists in varying numbers of genera, but in the system most widely used at present they are all put in the single genus Felis, despite the great variation among them. Among these cats are the puma (or cougar), the lynx (including the bobcat), the ocelot, the jaguarundi, the serval, and many small species described by the name cat or wildcat, such as the golden cat and European wildcat, as well as the domestic cat. The small cats are generally ticked, striped, or spotted. Many of them can in terbreed with the domestic cat, and some can be tamed if caught young Cats have five toes on the forefeet and four on the hind feet. The fifth toe is set high on the forefoot and does not touch the ground during walking, but it is used in grooming and capturing prey. The ends of the toes bear strong, sharp, curved claws. In all but the cheetah the claws are completely retractile, being withdrawn into protective sheaths when not in use. This mechanism is a distinguishing feature of the cat family, although it occurs in a less developed form in some civets. All cats, with the exception of the lynx and related species, have long tails which they use for balance. The musculo-skeletal system is extremely flexible, allowing cats to arch and twist their bodies in a variety of ways. Most cats have good vision and are able to see well in very dim light; their color vision is weak. Their sense of hearing is excellent and, at least in the small cats, can detect frequencies of up to 40,000 Hz or higher. The sense of smell is not as highly developed as in the dog; its keenness may vary from one species to another.

FISHES

Some Facts About Fishes Fishes are the largest group of vertebrates and are represented by four separate major sub-divisions or classes: the Agnatha or Cyclostomata, the Placodermi, the Chondrichthyes, and the Osteichthyes. Of these groups all but the Placodermi are represented by living forms. The first vertebrates known from the fossil record were the Ostracoderms, a diverse group of jawless fishes with bony plates covering the body. Ostracoderm fossils first appear in deposits of Ordovician age, approx-imately 450 million years ago. The lampreys and the marine hagfishes are the modern-day survivors of this once numerous group. The first jawed vertebrates were the Placodermi or plate-skinned fishes, which in turn gave rise to the Osteichthyes or bony fishes and the Chon-drichthyes or cartilaginous fishes (sharks, skates, and rays).dentify a fish it is necessary to know something about the structure of a fish especially those parts used in classification. The shape of fishes varies greatly. Many have slender streamlined bodies, but others develop thick heavy bodies, fitting almost every conceivable dimension. Some may be very long and cylindrical as in the eel, others are compressed laterally and are deep vertically as in the sunfishes. Proportions vary greatly. Some fishes have large wide heads and small slender bodies, while others may have small heads with wide heavy bodies.

BIRDS

They are warm-blooded, egg-laying, vertebrate animal having its body covered with feathers and its forelimbs modified into wings, which are used by most birds for flight. Birds compose the class Aves (see Chordata). There are an estimated 9,000 living species. Birds are believed to be extant members of a group of dinosaurs called maniraptors (other maniraptors include Velociraptor and Oviraptor). They share with dinosaurs such characteristics as a foot with three primary toes and one accessory toe held high in back. Early avians include such primitive birds as Arachaeopteryx, the rooster-sized Patagopteryx, and the ichthyornithiforms, skillful flyers with toothed beaks. The fossil remains of the Archaeopteryx, which date to the Jurassic period, show reptilian tails, jaws with teeth, and clawed wings, but feathers were well developed. Pterosaurs, another group of flying reptiles, did not share the common characteristics of birds and dinosaurs and are not considered birds.Like mammals, they have a four-chambered heart, and there is a complete separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. The body temperature is from 2 to 14 higher than that of mammals. Birds have a relatively large brain, keen sight, and acute hearing, but little sense of smell. Birds are highly adapted for flight. Their structure combines lightness and strength. Body weight is reduced by the presence of a horny bill instead of heavy jaws and teeth and by the air sacs in the hollow bones as well as in other parts of the body. Compactness and firmness are achieved by the fusion of bones in the pelvic region and in other parts of the skeleton. The heavier parts of the body the gizzard, intestines, flight muscles, and thigh muscles are all strategically located for maintaining balance in flight.

HORSES

hoofed, herbivorous mammal now represented by a single extant genus, Equus. The term horse commonly refers only to the domestic Equus caballus and to the wild Przewalski's horse, E. przewalski. (Other so-called wild horses are feral domestic horses or their descendants.) Adapted to plains environments, all Equus species, including the ass and the zebra, have lengthened foot bones ending in a single toe covered by a hoof, for fast running; teeth shaped for grinding grass; and intestinal protozoa for digesting cellulose. All species have tufts of hair on the tail, used against insects, and manes on the neck. Horses, zebras, and asses can interbreed, but the offspring are usually sterile. The offspring of a horse and a donkey (domestic ass) is called a mule. A male horse is called a stallion, or if castrated, a gelding; a female is a mare; her offspring are foals males are colts, females are fillies. A male parent is a sire, a female parent is a dam.