Classifying Rainforest Life

Science · Rainforests · ages 7-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which feature tells you an animal is a mammal, like a jaguar or monkey?
- It lays eggs and has scaly skin
- It has six legs and three body parts
- It has fur and feeds its babies milk
What covers a bird's body, like a toucan or macaw, and helps it fly?
- Fur
- Feathers
- Scales
Sorting rainforest life into groups like mammals and reptiles helps scientists study the huge variety of living things there.
Circle one: True False
A caiman has dry, scaly skin and lays its eggs on land. Which group is it?
- Amphibian
- Reptile
- Insect
A jaguar has fur and feeds its cubs milk. Which group does it belong to?
- Mammal
- Reptile
- Bird
The graph shows how 8 rainforest animals were sorted into groups. How many are reptiles?
Answer: ______________
Why do scientists sort rainforest animals and plants into groups like mammals, insects, and plants?
- It helps them study and compare the huge variety of rainforest life more easily
- It tells them exactly how many animals live in the whole rainforest
- It sorts the animals by which ones are the most dangerous
Leo says a poison dart frog is a reptile because it has four legs. What is his mistake?
- Leo is right, four legs always means an animal is a reptile
- Frogs have scales like other reptiles, so Leo's mistake was only in the name
- Frogs are amphibians because their skin stays moist and they need water to survive, not because of how many legs they have

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

It has fur and feeds its babies milk · Fur and feeding babies milk are the two things every mammal has in common.
Feathers · Feathers are the key feature of birds. Fur belongs to mammals, and scales belong to reptiles.
True · Grouping makes it much easier to compare and learn about thousands of different species.
Reptile · Dry, scaly skin and laying eggs on land are reptile features, not amphibian ones.
Mammal · Fur and feeding milk to babies are mammal features, so the jaguar is a mammal.
2 · The reptile bar shows 2 animals were sorted into that group.
It helps them study and compare the huge variety of rainforest life more easily · Grouping living things by shared features makes it much easier to study so many different species.
Frogs are amphibians because their skin stays moist and they need water to survive, not because of how many legs they have · The number of legs does not decide the group. Amphibians are defined by their moist skin and their need for water.