Poem: Classification of Animals

MAMMALS
Mammals cover their tender skin
With a layer of fur or hair,
The babies are born, not hatched from eggs
And when young, need lots of care.
Dogs and cats are mammals that walk
Bats are mammals that fly.
Dolphins and whales are mammals that swim.
And mammals are you and I.

AMPHIBIANS
An amphibian starts life in a pond
As it hatches from an egg.
It learns to swim with its sturdy tail
Since it has no arms or legs.
After a while, as it eats and grows
Its tail shrinks very small.
And its tiny arms and legs grow big
So the amphibian can hop and crawl.

BIRDS
The animals that can fly are birds
Because of their wonderful feathers.
They rise with ther wings, and steer with their tails
And frolick alone or together.
Birds build their nests from leaves and twigs
And lay their eggs in batches.
Their parents sit upon the eggs
To warm each til it hatches.


FISH
A fish has fins which lets it swim
In its ocean, lake or pool.
It has no arms or legs or nose
And groups of fish are a school.
Some fish are fresh-water, some are salt,
All have scales, not hair.
They force some water through their gills
To breathe a little air.


REPTILES
A reptile breathes like you and me
Not water, like fish, but air.
Its body is covered with bony plates
Or scales instead of hair.
Some like deserts, some like swamps
Some like their home a plain.
They hatch from eggs like tiny adults
And in that area remain.


INSECTS
Insects number in the millions
They crawl, swim and even fly.
Exoskeletons help protect them
They live in water, dirt and the sky.
Smelling with feelers and tasting with feet
Three-part bodies and hatching from eggs.
Two antenna, and four wings
And three pairs of jointed legs.