Terrestrial, Aquatic and Aerial Animals (Examples)

According the environment where they live animals can be classified as terrestrial, aquatic and aerial or air-ground. If they live on land they are terrestrial, if they live in water they are aquatic, if they can fly and spend much of their time in the air, they are aerial.

For any living being, the habitat is that physical space that provides it with favorable conditions to live and develop, that is, where it finds everything it needs to survive throughout its life..

In their natural habitat, animals are able to get enough water and food, either vegetable or animal, and it is where they can reproduce normally, contributing to the existence of the species to which they belong..

According to the habitat to which it belongs, each animal has particular adaptations that allow it to live better in that place.

Land animals, for example, have lungs to breathe oxygen from the air, while many aquatic animals breathe dissolved oxygen in water through gills. Aerial animals have special limbs for flying, while aquatic animals have them for swimming and terrestrial animals for walking and running..

Article index

• 1 Land animals
  • 1.1 Characteristics of land animals
  • 1.2 Examples of land animals
• 2 Aquatic animals
  • 2.1 Characteristics of aquatic animals
  • 2.2 Examples of aquatic animals
• 3 Airborne or air-ground animals
  • 3.1 Examples of aerial animals
• 4 References

Land animals

Terrestrial animals are all those that inhabit the surface of the earth or, in other words, in the different terrestrial ecosystems that exist in the biosphere: tropical and temperate forests, tundra, jungles, grasslands, deserts. , the mountains, etc..

Depending on the environmental temperature, the type of diet they have and many other variables, these animals present different adaptations that allow them to live on earth.

Characteristics of land animals

- Many have lungs to breathe oxygen in the air, while others "breathe" by diffusion through the surface of their body..

- They can be vertebrates or invertebrates.

- They can also be carnivores, herbivores or omnivores.

- Some have limbs adapted to walking and running, some at very high speeds (predators) and others more slowly.

- Some always live on the surface of the earth, but others can climb trees to spend the night, make burrows under the ground, inhabit rock caves, etc..

- Depending on the temperature of the environment where they live, they may have thicker or thinner skins or coats..

- Everyone needs to drink water in addition to consuming the food that nourishes them (even though they do not live in water).

- Some are cold-blooded and some are warm-blooded. Cold-blooded people usually need to be exposed to sunlight to warm their body and optimize the functioning of their metabolism..

Examples of land animals

• The camel: it is an animal with four legs, two humps, with great resistance to drought and very domesticated by man.
• Cobra: a very large poisonous snake (3-4 meters long).
• Cow: a large herbivorous mammal, exploited by man for the production of meat, milk and derivatives, as well as for plowing the land.
• The polar bear- Another large carnivorous mammal that lives in the polar region of the Northern Hemisphere. Although it can swim in search of food, it is a terrestrial animal.
• Horse: it is a domesticated animal that has been used for carrying things and for racing.
• The dog- a common pet in many households.
• The cat: another very common pet.
• Giraffes: they are animals that inhabit Africa whose main characteristic is their long neck.
• The pygmy marmoset: a species of small primate (up to 15 cm in length) very common in the tropical forests of the Amazon, especially in rainforests. Lives on trees, where it feeds on plants or insects and other small invertebrates.
• Other land animals: elephants, rhinos, cheetahs, leopards, gazelles.

Aquatic animals

Aquatic animals are those that spend their lives in water, that is, in aquatic ecosystems, either fresh or salt water. This means that in water they are able to breathe, move, feed and reproduce..

Aquatic ecosystems are extremely diverse, so many animals are often unique not only in terms of the type of water (fresh or salt), but also in terms of temperature, the amount of light they receive (depth), and mobility (water calm or running water, for example), among other things.

More than 70% of the surface of our planet is covered by water, so there is a gigantic diversity of aquatic animals: there are large and small, fierce and harmless, colorful, elusive, fast and slow, with and without teeth, among much others.

It is very important to keep in mind that fish are not the only aquatic animals that exist, as there are many invertebrates such as crustaceans, mollusks and cnidarians, and other vertebrates such as large aquatic mammals that also live in water..

Aquatic animal characteristics

- They live in water for all or most of their life.

- The more complex ones usually have fins to swim and move, instead of limbs like ours (arms and legs), although some may have them specialized for swimming..

- They usually have "gills" or gills thanks to which they can breathe the oxygen dissolved in the water.

- Many of them are oviparous, that is, they reproduce by means of eggs; there are viviparous and ovoviviparous fish and aquatic mammals too.

- They can be vertebrates such as fish, whales, and turtles, for example, or invertebrates such as jellyfish, octopuses, and crustaceans..

- They can feed on other animals (predators), plankton (phytoplankton or zooplankton), or both.

- They have mechanisms to eliminate excess salt (marine) or prevent mineral deficiency (freshwater)

- Some live deep in the ocean or buried in the sand of freshwater bodies, while others rise to the surface and descend depending on their needs for sunlight and food..

Examples of aquatic animals

- Freshwater animals

• Freshwater crocodiles: they are reptiles that live mainly in water, although they can get out of it regularly, so they could sometimes be considered “semi-aquatic”; this particular species inhabits Australia.
• Rainbow trout: a freshwater fish belonging to the salmonid family; normally inhabits temperate waters and is reared in many parts of the world for human consumption.
• Giant freshwater crab: it is a species of crab (the largest freshwater in the world) endemic to the island of Tasmania.
• Catfish or "catfish": a group of freshwater fish widely distributed in the rivers and lakes of the American continent; since they are often found in unsanitary waters, many tend to have some reluctance regarding their consumption.
• The piranhas: they are carnivorous freshwater fish that belong to the Serrasalmidae family and are distributed especially in the South American continent.

- Saltwater animals

• The White shark: These are fish of the shark family that can reach up to 8 meters long, although the most common size is 6 meters.
• The blue whale: It is the largest animal in the world, being able to reach up to 27 meters in length.
• Orcas: They are cetacean mammals of the dolphin family. They are carnivores and the females are smaller than the males.
• The Dolphins: they are mammals of the cetacean family that measure between 2 and 8 meters long, carnivorous, with an elongated snout and blowhole on the top of the head.
• Olive ridley or olive sea turtle: a type of aquatic reptile that is widely distributed in the oceans, except in the North Atlantic.
• Narwhal: a cetacean mammal present in the Arctic seas and in the Atlantic Ocean; males are characterized by having a very long horn and a very large tusk.
• Starfish: is a star-shaped marine echinoderm.
• Flying fish: Freshwater fish that, although they are aquatic animals, can flap powerfully to propel themselves out of the water to escape their predators. They are very common in Barbados.
• Other saltwater aquatic animals: octopus, squid, belugas.

Aerial or air-ground animals

The animals that can fly are aerial animals, although they spend a lot of time of their lives on trees or, sometimes, on the ground or on the surface of the water, which is why they are also called air-ground.

The largest group of aerial animals is represented by birds (although not all birds fly), but there are also a large number of flying insects and there is a group of mammals that fly.

There are also cases such as that of flying squirrels, which have a kind of "membrane" between their extremities, which works like a parachute when these animals are thrown from one tree to another, always from a high position to a lower one (they glide ).

Flying animals have structures adapted to fly called wings. The wings may be a modification of their forelimbs, as in birds and bats, for example, or they may be additional appendages, as in insects..

Examples of aerial animals

• Bats: they are a group of flying mammals, generally nocturnal, that use their sense of hearing to "see". They have membranous wings, formed between the "digits" of their "hands".
• Butterflies: important flying insects, some diurnal and others nocturnal. They have wings and 3 pairs of legs (they are insects). Its larval stage cannot fly, but generally lives on the stems of the plants on which it feeds..
• Damselflies: an order of flying insects (order Odonata) that has an aquatic larval stage, but whose adults fly and feed on other invertebrates.
• The birds: they are warm-blooded vertebrates that have their forelimbs adapted for flight. They have feathers and beaks of various shapes, colors, and sizes. Some can only jump or run, but the vast majority fly through the air.

References

1. Bone, Q., & Moore, R. (2008). Biology of fishes. Taylor & Francis.
2. Brusca, R. C., & Brusca, G. J. (2003). Invertebrates (No. QL 362. B78 2003). Basingstoke.
3. Hickman, C. P., Roberts, L. S., & Larson, A. (1997). Integrated principles of zoology. 10th edn. Boston: WCB.
4. Kardong, K. V. (2006). Vertebrates: comparative anatomy, function, evolution (No. QL805 K35 2006). New York: McGraw-Hill.
5. Kennedy, J. 2020. Characteristics of Marine Life (On-line), Thought Co, Accessed September 1, 2020 at www.thoughtco.com/characteristics-of-marine-life-2291899