A goldfish is an animal! Animals are different from plants because they cannot make their own food using sunlight. Instead, animals eat plants (herbivores), other animals (carnivores), or both (omnivores). Animals also have special senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) and can move around. The study of animals is called zoology!

A dolphin is a mammal! Even though dolphins live in the ocean and look like fish, they are actually mammals. They breathe air through a blowhole (not gills), give birth to live babies (not eggs), feed their babies milk, and have a tiny bit of hair when they are born. Other amazing mammals include bats (the only flying mammals), blue whales (the largest animals on Earth), and humans!

An eagle is a bird! All birds have feathers – no other animal has feathers. Feathers help birds fly, keep them warm, and attract mates. Birds have light, hollow bones that help them fly. There are about 10,000 different species of birds on Earth, from tiny hummingbirds (smaller than your thumb) to huge ostriches (taller than a person!).

A clownfish is a fish! Fish are the oldest group of backboned animals – they have been on Earth for over 500 million years. Fish breathe underwater using gills. They take in water through their mouths, and the gills pull out the oxygen. They do not have lungs like mammals and birds. Some fish, like sharks, have skeletons made of cartilage (the same material as your nose!) instead of bone.

A turtle is a reptile! Reptiles have been on Earth for over 300 million years. Unlike mammals and birds, reptiles are cold-blooded (ectothermic) – they cannot make their own body heat. That is why you see lizards and snakes lying on rocks in the sun – they are warming up so they can move faster! When it gets cold, reptiles become slow and sleepy.

A frog is an amphibian! Amphibians have an amazing life cycle. They lay soft, jelly-like eggs in water. The eggs hatch into larvae called tadpoles, which breathe with gills and have tails to swim. Then they go through metamorphosis – they grow legs, lose their tails, and develop lungs to breathe air. Adult frogs can live on land but must stay near water to keep their skin moist!

Insects have six legs! That is one way to tell them apart from spiders (which have eight legs and are called arachnids). Insects also have three body parts: the head (with eyes and antennae), the thorax (where legs and wings attach), and the abdomen (where digestion happens). Insects are the most successful animals on Earth – there are more insects than all other animals combined!

Herbivores eat only plants! Cows, horses, rabbits, and elephants are herbivores. They have flat teeth for grinding leaves and grass. Carnivores have sharp teeth for tearing meat. Omnivores have both kinds of teeth – flat ones for plants and sharp ones for meat. Humans are omnivores – we can eat fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and grains!

A shark lives in the ocean! The ocean is a huge habitat that covers about 71% of Earth's surface. Different animals live in different parts of the ocean – near the surface, in the deep dark depths, near coral reefs, or in open water. Each animal has special adaptations that help it survive in its habitat. Polar bears have thick fur and blubber (fat) to stay warm. Camels have humps that store fat and can go a long time without water.

The correct order is: egg → caterpillar → chrysalis → butterfly. This is called complete metamorphosis. The caterpillar looks completely different from the butterfly – it eats leaves and crawls. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar's body breaks down and reorganizes into a butterfly! Frogs also go through metamorphosis – they start as eggs, hatch into tadpoles with tails and gills, then grow legs and lungs to become adult frogs. Nature is amazing!