KERALA PSC / BIOLOGY / THE KINGDOM OF ANIMALS / NOTES
/ OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE / KERALA PSC
PRELIMINARY
KERALA PSC / BIOLOGY / THE KINGDOM OF ANIMALS / NOTES
/ OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE / KERALA PSC
PRELIMINARY
·
Sponges
(phylum porifera) are the primitive group of animals, nervous system is absent
in this group
·
Portuguese
man – of – war – a kind of jelly fish (coelenterate) cause great hazards to
swimmers.
·
Phylum
Platyhelminthes contains mostly parasites that live in other animal including
man. Tapeworm and blood flukes are prevalent in places with poor sanitary
facilities and unprotected water supply.
·
Nemathelminthes
– Round work (nematode) contains in this group, hook worm, filarial worm are
notorious nematodes parasites in human which are spread through insanitary
condition or by vectors.
·
Wuchereria
Bancrofti – A filarial worm lives in human lymph vessel and lymph gland cause
lymphatic disease Elephantians (filariasis) can be effectively treat by using
drug Di ethyl Carbamazins (DEC)
·
Blood
sucking Leech possess anti-coagulant called Hirudin.
·
Earth
worm (The annelid) performs an important ecological function by their mode of
feeding – it is commonly called ‘Nutures plough man’, the encretory organs of
Earthworms are nephridia.
·
Arthropods
are animals with jointed legs and Appendages it include four major classes –
Arachnida (Scorpions and Spiders), Crustacea (crabs and prawns), Myriapoda
(Millipedes and Centipedes) and Insecta (all insects)
·
Arachindas
have eight legs which include Scorpians, spiders, Miltes and Tikcks
·
Crustaceans
are dominant arthropods of the sea. Prawns, Crab, lobsters are economically
very important.
·
Millipedes
(meaning thousand legged) usually have 70 to 100 pair of legs
·
Centipedes
(meaning hundred – legged) usually they have 10 to 30 pair of legs
·
Insects
are the largest class of animal, insects body consists of head, a thorax of
three segment each with pair of legs (six legged) are pair of antennae,
Tracheae for gas exchange and malphighian tubule for excretion.
·
Beetle
has more species that all other animal life put together.
·
Several
insects are serious pest of crop plants stored food and other products,
mosquitoes and flies are vector of diseases in animal and humans. But some are
very useful and productive to human beings.
·
Scavengers
– These are insects which feed on waste material such as dead bodies, debris
etc… Eg: silver fish, termites, houseflies, ants, cockroaches.
·
Pollinators
of flowers – these insects help in pollination of flowers Eg: bee, wasps,
butterflies
·
Productive
insects – Honey bee and Silkmoth are important useful productive insects.
·
Bee
dance – Highly developed means of communication found in honey bee – Karl Von
Frisch won Nobel Prize on the work of bee dance.
·
Eriophyes
guerreronis – This is serious pest of coconut palm casuing ‘Mandari’ and cause
wide spread damage in Kerala. It was first seen in Ernakulam.
·
Mollusca
second largest animal phylum. After arthropods, though soff-bodies molluscs
have a protective hard shell, comprise of best known invertebrates like Snails,
Slugs, Squids, Octopus.
Pearl Oyster
·
They
are commonly found in seas around India, Sri Lanka, Japan, America, typical
Indian pearl Oyster (Pinctada Vulgaris) lives in Gulf of Kutch. The Pearl is
formed around a foreign object accidently caught between mantle and shell.
·
Echinodermata
consist only marine animals such as starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sea
cucumber and sea lilies.
·
Chordata
means animal with Notochord either throughout or during early embryonic life.
·
Subphylum
Vetebrates (animal with backbone) are grouped into fishes, amphibians,
reptiles, birds and mammals.
·
Fishes
are acquatic vetebrates with fins, gills, and scaly skin.
·
Shark
and Ray are Cartilaginous fishes, they are all marine orgine
·
Study
of fish are called lchthyology
·
Fishes
have two chambered heart
·
Fishes
are cold blooded organisms
·
Bony
fishes occur in all waters
·
Fishes
have very well developed sense of smell.
·
Bony
fish include Flying fish, Flat fish, Sea horse, Cat fish etc…
·
Hippocampus
(Sea horse) shows parental care
·
Two
kind of sea cows are Dugonges and manatus
·
Gambusia
is called mosquito fish
·
Etroplus
(pearl spot) is a popular edible fish in Kerala found in estuaries, brackish
water in 2010 it was declared as the official fish of Kerala.
False fishes
·
Silver
fish – A wingless Arthropoda
·
Jelly
fish – Coelenterata
·
Cuttle
fish – Mollusca
·
Devil
Fish (Octopus) – Mollusca
·
Star
fish – Echinodermata
·
Real
fishes – Cat fish, flying fish
·
The
acquatic animal with most developed intelligence is Dolphin
·
Amphibians:
Most amphibians have two phase in their live
·
Amphibians
live only in fresh water no marine forms
·
The
amphibians heart is three chambered
·
Scientific
name of Frog is Rana Hexadactyla
·
Larve
tadpole which metamorphosis into adult
·
Reptiles
include Lizards, Snakes, Turtle all are creeping animals
·
Largest
reptiles today are the Komodo Dragan of Indonesia (Lizard)
·
Reptile’s
heart is 3 chambered but 4 chambered heart is seen in crocodiles like birds and
mammals.
·
Lizards
can break off their tail and escape a new tail is regenerated
·
Chameleon’s
body colour changes to match its environment this act as a Comouflage.
·
Snakes
are limbless reptiles, snake lack ears to hear, they have strong sense of
small.
·
Pythons
are large non-poisonous snake.
·
Sandbow
has small non prehensible thick tail bearing a false resemblance to head hence
called double-headed snake.
·
The common poisons snakes includes Cobras
Kraits, Viper and Sea snake
·
Poison
injection fangs (teeth) are maxillary teeth.
·
Vipers
are viviparaus (gives birth directly to their young one’s)
·
Snake
Venom classifieds into two neurotox is and haemotoxic
·
Poison
of cobras’ kraits and sea snake are neurotoxic it causes death by paralysis of
respiratory muscles.
·
Haemotoxins
are typical to vipers. They cause tissue destruction and death
·
Antivenom
injections are the best treatment for snake bites
·
Kraits
are dangerously poisonous because their bite inject a very large quantity of
poison (three times more than cobra)
·
Highest
venoumous snake is King Cobra
·
Turtle
(marine) and Tortoises (Terrestrial) are distinctive animals, sea turtles have
limbs modified as flippers. Giant tortoises can be seen in Galapa Gos island.
·
Crocodiles
and alligators have a four chambered heart
·
Aves
(Birds) – Their characteristic features are the presence of feathers and the
power of flight.
·
Archaeopteryx
– a connecting link between reptile and birds
·
Birds
are capable of maintaining a constant body temperature so they generally called
warm blooded.
·
Bird’s
heart is four chambered
·
Birds
have a keen sense of sight
·
Humming
birds are smallest bird,
it can fly backwards, beaks of Humming Bird are thin and pointed adapted for
sucking nector.
·
Swift:
Fastest flying
bird found in Japan it can fly 60 km/h
·
Albetros:
large long winged sea bird
·
The
heaviest flying bird is Kori bustard
·
Dodo
is a recently
extinct bird from Mauritious
·
Great
Indian Bustard: A protected
bird of Flamingo – a large bird with long neck and leg.
·
The
scientific name Peacock is Pavo cristatus
·
Red
vented Bul bird is called India’s nightingale.
·
Flightless
birds are Ostrich, Emu, Kiwi, Cassowary, Penguin Tinamon
·
Mammals:
Most important character of mammal is the presence of mammary gland
·
Egg
lying mammals are Ptalypus, Echindna, Marsupials (pouched animal), Eg: Kangaroo
·
Flying
Mammal: Bat
·
Largest
living Mammal: Blue Whale
·
Flying
fox is kind of Bat
·
Prairie
dog is not a dog it is Squirrel Rodent
·
Pangolean
is the animal does not have teeth
·
Porcupine
has quills or spines to protect itself against enemies.
·
Rodents
includes rat, mice, squirrel and beavers
·
Hooved
herbivorous divided into two:
Ø
Odd
toed: eg: rhinoceros, horse, donkey, zebra
Ø
Even
toed: animals include cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats, deer, camel, giraffes,
pigs and hippopotamus
·
In
even toed ungulates or hooved herbivorous, cow and camel are cud chewing, their
4 chambered stomach capable of digesting cellulosoic plant material by means of
microorganism present in first stomach or ruman chewing.
·
Elephant
have padded feet no hooves
·
The
animal with the longest life span on the land is elephant, while the animal
having the longest life span, in general, is turtles and tortoises.
·
Blue
Whale is the biggest and
the heaviest mammal.
·
The
smallest ape is Gibbon
·
Chimpanzee
is the most
intelligent ape
·
Elephant
tusks are enlarged incisors
·
Fishes
respire through gills
·
The
vertebrate which has a two chambered heart is fish
·
Coprophytes
are the animals
which derives their food from faecal matters.
·
The
organism which has the maximum number of ribs is the snake. The largest snake
is the anaconda found in the Amazon region in south America.
·
Kangaroo
is a nocturnal herbivore
·
Zebras
are jockingly called “the ponies in pygamas”
·
The
main chemical content of egg shell is calcium carbonate.
·
The
animal found in the advertisement board of forest department with the heading “I
have no medicinal value” is black ape.
·
Sanguivores
are the animals feeding on blood. Frugivores are the animals feeding on fruits.
·
The
Kangaroo rat never drinks water in its entire life.
·
Ostrich,
Rhea, Kiwi and Penguin-all are flightless birds
·
Dodo
(a flightless pigeon) which appeared in Mauritius is now extinct
·
The
smallest flightless bird is kiwi, while the smallest flying bird is the Bee
humming bird of Cuba
·
Growth
of tadpole into a frog is called metamorphosis. Thyroid gland plays a main role
in this process.
·
Cobra
venom affects the nervous system and viper venom the blood circulatory system
·
A
baby cockroach is called nymph.
·
Organism
is called the ‘slipper animal cule’ paramecium
·
The
organism which performs the sex transformation in crabs: Sacculina
·
The
population of reptiles in maximum on earth
·
Saurology
is the study of lizards
·
Ants
go in a line by the secretion of pheromones
·
The
tallest living bird is Ostrich
·
Silver
fish is not a fish but a wingless insect
KERALA PSC / BIOLOGY / THE KINGDOM OF ANIMALS / NOTES
/ OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE / KERALA PSC
PRELIMINARY
