5.5 Classification
Here is the class presentation:
And this task:
And Crash Course (some of) it here:
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Work through this Essential Biology 5.5 Classification as you go through the presentation.
There are some activities you can download here:
Invertebrate phyla cards and dichotomous key
Paired groups key-making activity: Spiders vs Beetles
Butterfly Chart, of species at Taman Kupu2 Cihanjuang
The Queensland Government Shark ID guide.
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And here are the Click4Biology notes
There is also a great Environmental Science course online here: The Habitable Planet
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How many species are there on Earth?
A good question, and the subject of much research. This recent paper on PLOS Biology estimates 8.7 million. For a good write-up of the story, including an explanation of the diagram below, head over to Carl Zimmers’ The Loom blog:

Currently known and predicted animal species. By the Census of Marine Life, reposted via Carl Zimmer’s The Loom
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Here is a terrible pun, which you’ll only get if you understand the plant phyla:
A skeptical anthropologist was cataloging South American folk remedies with the assistance of a tribal Brujo who indicated that the leaves of a particular fern were a sure cure for any case of constipation. When the anthropologist expressed his doubts, the Brujo looked him in the eye and said, “Let me tell you, with fronds like these, you don’t need enemas.”
And if you didn’t get that, you might have a smile at Debra the Zonkey (or Zedonk):
Classify this monster jellyfish:
Hi Steve,
I noted i minor mistake(?) in your class presentation: arachnids have a cephalothorax (fused thorax and head) whereas in insects the head and thorax are separate.
Good spot, Chris. I’ll update the body plans for the keys ASAP.
Thanks!
Dear Stephen I am writing from Peru, I liked very much your videos and your website, my final exam is in two weeks and thank you for everything 🙂