Overviews of Chordata (Chordates)
Introduction
to the Chordata_- U of CA Museum of Paleontology
What makes it the chordata classification? This brief introduction explains why!
Phylum Chordata
From MEER (Marine and Environmental Education and Research, Inc.) an
excellent description of Chordata with a list of subphylums, classes and families.
Phylum
Chordata - U of MI Zoology Museum
Another brief but thorough explanation of the characteristics of a chordata.
Phylum
Chordata
From the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota.
Introduction
to the Cephalochordata
Basic facts from the Museum of Paleontology at University of California at
Berkeley.
Class Cephalochordata
From MEER (Marine and Environmental Education and Research, Inc.) a
description of Cephalochordata with illustrations and examples.
URMO:
Cephalochordata
Classification from the UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms.
Subphylum Urochordata
(tunicates)
From MEER (Marine and Environmental Education and Research, Inc.) a
description of the Subphylum and Classes Ascidiacea, Appendicularia and Thaliacea.
URMO:
Urochordata
Classification from the UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms.
Subphylum
Urochordata
Species description only from the U of Michigan Zoology Museum.
Return to the Table of Contents
Overviews of Vertebrata (Vertebrates)
Introduction
to the Vertebrates - U of CA Paleotology Museum
This provides a brief description of the evolution of vertebrates with links to
Systematics and More Morphology.
Vertebrata
- Tree of Life
A description of the Subphylum Vertebrata with a discussion of the characteristics and
phylogenetic relationships.
Vertebrates-
U of MI- Zoology Museum
Provides a basic description of what makes a verterbrate a vertebrate.
Introduction
to the Tetrapoda- U of CA Paleotology Museum
Covers the vertebrates we are most familiar with- mammals, amphibians, birds, and
dinosaurs.
Amniota-
Tree of Life
This site gives taxonomic information on a very wide range of species. Scroll down for a
discussion of amniota in general or follow the tree for lineage on your particular
species.
Classes and Orders of
Fishes
From MEER (Marine and Environmental Education and Research, Inc.) a list
of the classes and orders of fishes, including hagfishes, sharks & rays, lungfishes,
lampreys, chimaeras and bony fishes.
Fish Body Forms and Lifestyles
From MEER (Marine and Environmental Education and Research, Inc.) "These are
not taxonomic categories, but simply general descriptions of body shapes and structural
characteristics."
Return to the Table of Contents
Class Agnatha (Jawless Vertebrates)
Superclass
Agnatha
From the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota.
Class Placodermi (Extinct Jawed Fish)
Class
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes) 
Class
Chondrichthyes
From the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota.
The
Ray-Finned Fishes
From the Tree of Life.
Introduction
to the Chondrichtyes 
From UC- Berkeley, this includes sharks, skates and rays. Lineage is available.
Sharks and
Their Relatives
Links to Scientific Classification, Habitat & Distribution, Physical
Characteristics, Behavior, etc from Sea World/Busch Gardens. Also, links to information
about the Great White
Shark, the Epaulette Shark and Rays.
Shark Research
The Shark Research Program from the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of
Florida at Gainesville. This is GREAT STUFF!
Order Lamniformes (mackerel
sharks and relatives)
From MEER (Marine and Environmental Education and Research, Inc.) a description of
Order and Class Chrondichthyes, subclass Elasmobranchii, includes the Great White Shark.
FishBase
WWW:Taxonomy
Includes Classification of various species of sharks, rays, eels and many bony
fishes.
Icythology Web
Resources - Taxon pages
"IWR compiles online resources of scientific and educational value
into an organised directory. Its "Taxon Pages" directory is especially
extensive, containing links to pages on many groups of fish."
Fishbase WWW: FishFinder
A searchable database of both common (50,000) and scientific (25,000) names.
Fishes
From the Birmingham Zoo, links to information about specific species of Fish and Sharks plus general websites on Sharks.
Master Index of Freshwater Fishes
Index with links to the Fishbase plus excellent photos of selected species. Search by either scientific or common name.
Class
Osteichthyes (Bony Fishes)
Scientific
Classification
Basic facts on Bony Fishes from Sea World/Busch Gardens.
Sea
World/Busch Gardens Animal Bytes Database
This site includes:
Ocean Planet Homepage
"Ocean Planet, premiered at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History from
April 1995 to April 1996, where it attracted nearly two million visitors. This electronic
online companion exhibition contains all of the text and most of the panel designs and
images found in the traveling
exhibition ."
Class
Osteichthyes
From the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota.
FishBase
WWW:Taxonomy
Includes Classification of various species of sharks, rays, eels and many bony
fishes.
Texas
Natural History Collections - Ichthyology Division
Texas and North American fish.
NANFA - The Home Page of the North American Native Fish Association
"We serve to bring together professional and amateur aquarists,
educators, students, anglers, fish and wildlife officials, and
researchers-- anyone with an interest in the appreciation,
conservation, and study of these wonderful and important inhabitants of
our lakes and streams."
Facts About Fish in the Southwest
From the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) of the Southwest, Division of Fisheries.
Icythology
Web Resources - Taxon pages
"IWR compiles online resources of scientific and educational value into
an organised directory. Its "Taxon Pages" directory is especially extensive,
containing links to pages on many groups of fish."
Anemone
Fishes and Their Host Sea Anemones
An electronic publication from the Biodiversity and Biological Collections
WWW Server. "This book permits quick and accurate identification
of the invertebrate hosts, as well as the fishes, through well-illustrated,
easy-to-use keys and underwater photographs. It is the first publication
on these animals designed as a field guide."
Fishes
of the Dakotas
Scroll down or use Find to search for the common name.
Cichlids
This page lists the species of a freshwater fish common in aquariums.
Endangered
Species
Covers the pallid sturgeon as well as several other types of animals
in the US.
Return to the Table of Contents
Introduction
to the Amphibia
Basic facts from the Museum of Paleontology at University of California
at Berkeley.
Living
Amphibians
From the Tree of Life, a great deal of information is given on
frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts.
Class
Amphibia
From the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University
of Minnesota.
CNAAR
- The Center for North American Amphibians and Reptiles
"The Center for North American Amphibians and Reptiles (CNAAR) was established
as a non-profit foundation with the objective of promoting education
and conservation of amphibians and reptiles in the United States and
Canada."
Amphibians
From the Birmingham Zoo, links to information about specific species
of Frogs and Toads plus general websites on Amphibians.
Herps
of Texas
From the University of Texas, College of Natural Science. Includes links
to information about General Herpetology, Frogs and Toads, Lizards,
Salamanders, Snakes, Turtles, and Crocodilians.
Sea
World/Busch Gardens Animal Bytes Database
This site includes:
Bullfrog
South
American Ornate Horned Frog
The
Whole Frog Project
This site focuses more on frog anatomy than taxonomy. It has a 3-D reconstruction
of a frog as well as MPEG's of frogs.
Virtual
Frog Dissection Kit
"This work was done as part of the research program of the Ernest
Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Information and Computing
Sciences Division, Stewart Loken, Division Director (scloken@lbl.gov),
Imaging and Distributed Computing Group, W.E. Johnston, Group Leader (wejohnston@lbl.gov)."
Interactive Frog
Dissection
Pictures of real frogs...
Scientific
Amphibian
Everything you always wanted to know about frogs and other amphibians.
Lots of additional links.
Frogs
and Toads of Michigan
While this site doesn't give the species name, it does have detailed
information about specific frogs and toads.
Frogs
of the Gardens
This site was created by the Australian National Botanic Gardens. It
has limited (but good!) information on select species of frogs.
The
Corroboree Frog
Also from the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
NBII
- FrogWeb
Focus on amphibian declines and deformities from the National Biological
Information Infrastructure. A great starting spot for frog, toad, newt,
and salamander research.
Amphibian
Malformations
Includes species identification guide.
Return to Subphylum Vertebrata
Return to the Table of Contents
Introduction
to the Diapsids
Gives a great explanation of what "reptile" really means!
Class
Reptilia
From the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University
of Minnesota.
The
EMBL Reptile Database
"An Online Information Resourse on Reptile Taxonomy with a
focus on the Species Level." This database is maintained
by Peter Uetz,University of Washington
, Thure Etzold, European Bioinformatics Institute
and Ramu Chenna, European Molecular
Biology Laboratory.
Reptiles
From the Birmingham Zoo, links to information about specific species
of Alligators, Crocidilians, Caimans, Lizards, Snakes and Turtles plus
general websites on Reptiles.
Classification
of Living Reptiles
One of the most complete sites for classification although a little
short on other kinds of information. You need to have some idea of the
reptiles taxonomy to use this site.
Crocodilian,
Tuatara and Turtle Species of the World
"An online taxonomic and geographic reference." Edited
by F. Wayne King and Russell L. Burke. "...an annotated checklist of
the 271 nominal species of crocs, tuatara, and turtles, is the result
of an international cooperative effort by 42 reptile biologists."
Introduction
to Testudines: The Turtles
From University of California at Berkeley.
Order
Testudines
From the Animal Diversity Web.
Sea
Turtles
From Sea World, this site includes classification, habitat, behavior,
diet and much more information on Sea Turtles.
Snake
Information
Click on "Scientific Classification."
The World
of Snakes
"Spectacular and Authoritative Reference to Snakes."
"Snakes
Alive"
Special exhibit from the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Science.
Sea
World/Busch Gardens Animal Bytes Database
This site includes:
Aldabra
Tortoise
African
Spurred Tortoise
American
Alligator
Carpet
Python
Eastern
Diamondback Rattlesnake
Nile
Crocodile
Rat
Snake
Sea
Turtle
Return to Subphylum Vertebrata
Return to the Table of Contents
Introduction
to the Aves
From University of California at Berkeley, a brief introduction is followed
by links to the phylogeny of birds. The picture of the snowy owl alone
is worth a visit!
Class
Aves
From the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University
of Minnesota.
Taxonomy
of Birds
Taken from The North American Breeding Bird Survey Results
and Analysis. Version 96.4. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel,
MD by Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, G. Gough, I. Thomas, and B. G.
Peterjohn. 1997.
Audobon:
Watch List
"The WatchList identifies North American bird species that
need our help. WatchList species are those faced with population decline,
limited geographic range, and/or threats such as habitat loss on their
breeding and wintering grounds. A centerpiece of conservation at Audubon,
the WatchList is an early warning system that focuses attention on at-risk
bird species before they become endangered."
Wild-Eyed
Alaska, An Educational Exploration into Alaskan Wildlife
Not really taxonomy but worth a visit. This is from the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and it is a multimedia presentation.
(Must have RealPlayer to view the video). You will find several native
varieties of birds including gulls, kittiwakes, and puffins.
Sea
World/Busch Gardens Animal Resources
This site includes:
| Birds of Prey |  Penguins |
|---|
Sea
World/Busch Gardens Animal Bytes Database
This site includes:
| Bald Eagle | Barn Owl | Chilean Flamingo | Crowned Crane |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lappet-faced Vulture | Marabou Stork | Ostrich | Parrot |
| Penguin | Puffin | Sacred Ibis | Tufted Puffin |
An
ABA-like List of North American Birds, Taxonomically Ordered
The ABA(American Birding Association) list of Birds of the ABA
listing area, which includes Alaska and the Lower 48 states, but not
Hawaii.
The
Birds of North America, Sample Profiles
Excerpts from the Life Histories.
Peterson's
Bird Guides Online
The online version of Peterson's Guides.
Birds
From the Birmingham Zoo, choose from an enormous list of kinds of birds
to link to information about individual species.
Online
Book of Parrots (Psittaciformes)
"This virtual "encyclopedia" is a true noncommercial, sponsorfree
service and contains information about one of the most interesting
group of birds. - The parrots and parrotlike birds, all of which are
filed as Class: Aves; Order: Psittaciformes."
Ranges
of North American Breeding Birds
Scroll down for a list of birds covered.
Patuxent
Bird Identification InfoCenter
"Here we present photographs, songs, identification tips, maps,
and life history information for North American birds, and provide a
forum for commentary and discussion on bird identification."
Breeding
Birds of Nebraska
This site covers habitat information in general as well as species names
and a map of the area in which each species can be found. See Species
Accounts for species names.
Breeding
Birds of North Dakota
This site has only species names and a map of the area in which each
species can be found. Scroll down or use Find for common
name searches.
Songbirds
of North Dakota
Scroll down for a list of birds covered.
Owls
of North Dakota
Scroll down for a list of birds covered.
South
Dakota Breeding Birds Atlas
Scroll down for a list of birds covered.
Endangered
Species
From the North Prairie Wildlife Research Center, this site covers several
varieties of mammals native to North Dakota, as well as other kind of
animals and plants in the US.
Return to Subphylum Vertebrata
Return to the Table of ContentsHall
of Mammals- Museum of Paleontology at University of California at Berkeley
There is lots of information on mammal classification at this site.
They have also included particulars on each group of mammals: placental
(Eutheria), marsupial (Metatheria), and Monotremes.
Mammalia-
U of MI Museum of Zoology
From the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology.
Class
Mammalia
From the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University
of Minnesota.
Mammal
Species of the World
From the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution,
the Mammal Species of the World (MSW) allows you to perform a search
by either common name or species name. To get the lineage, just click
on the Parent box.
The
Electronic Zoo
Immerse yourself in the world of animals. Well-maintained,
exhaustive guide with link to the NetVet
veterinary site.
The
Mammals of Texas - Online Edition
"This online edition of The Mammals of Texas incorporates the
complete text and graphics content of the 1994 revision published by
the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. This site is keyword-searchable
or may be browsed by selecting from the options to the left. Included
are photographs, a comprehensive set of distribution maps and identification
keys to the orders and species of mammals found in Texas."
Primate Taxonomy
From the Primate Info Net
at the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center.
The Primates
"An Introduction to the Taxonomy and General Characteristics of the
Primates." Another wonderful web site from Dennis O'Neil, Ph.D., a professor
at Palomar College in San Marcos, California.
Cetaceans
From UC- Berkeley, this covers whales and dolphins.
Dolphins
- the Oracles of the Sea
Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network
Dedicated to understanding and conserving marine mammals. Find out
about Rescue, Rehabilitation, Research, Education and Release.
Sea
World/Busch Gardens Animal Resources
Sea
World/Busch Gardens Animal Bytes Database
Family Ursidae: Bears
From The Cyber Zoomobile website, a description of the Family
characteristics plus phylogeny and nice photos. A link to more
information on American Black Bears.
Family Canidae: Canines(Dogs)
From The Cyber Zoomobile website, a description of the Family characteristics plus an extensive phylogeny list. Links to more information on Canis Lupus(gray wolf) and Urocyon cinereoargenteus(gray fox).
Family Felidae: Felines(Cats)
From The Cyber Zoomobile website, a description of the Family characteristics plus an extensive
phylogeny list and wonderful photos. Links to information on over 40
animals in the cat family from Acinonyx jubatus(cheetah)to the Uncia
uncia(snow leopard).
Bat Conservation International
"This site is designed to help readers explore the world of bats through
articles, photos, and bat trivia."
The International Wolf Center
"This site's mission is to support the survival of the wolf around the world
by teaching about its life, its association with other species and its dynamic
relationships to humans."
Endangered
Species
The premier website from the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
Endangered
Species Home Page
From the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, this site contains important links to all
United States species of plants and animals, currently listed as endangered or threatened.
Lots of pictures and also multi-media resources are available.
Species
at Risk in the Gulf of Mexico
"A cooperative program between the Gulf of
Mexico Program and the Gulf Coast
Research Laboratory Museum. Work contained herein resulted from a workshop to identify
potentially endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico and to identify research needs for
these species."
Endangered
Species
From the North Prairie Wildlife Research Center, this site covers several varieties of
mammals native to North Dakota, as well as other kind of animals and plants in the US.
Manatee: Edge of Extinction
"Manatees: The Edge of Extinction is an educational and
interactive exhibit which tells the full story of manatees and the
Sirenia, the scientific group to which they belong - from their rise in
the early Cenozoic to their precarious existence today."
Endangered
Species Profiles
From Sea World/Busch Gardens, this site includes species information on both
mammals, fish and birds.
Tiger Information Center
"The Tiger Information Center is dedicated to providing information
to help preserve the remaining five subspecies of tigers.
Florida
Panther Society and Florida
Panther Net
"With only 30 to 50 individual cats remaining in Florida's
wild areas, Florida panthers are a conservation concern. The Florida
Panther Society is a non-governmental organization dedicated to the
recovery of the Florida panther population. The Society's Webpage
offers background information on panthers, genetic restoration efforts,
the state's panther population, field notes on current research/
restoration activities, and photographs of some of the remaining
individuals. The State's Florida Panther Net Website offers additional
information, including natural history information, notes from the
field, photographs, and a series of educational materials."
The Animals at Fossil Rim
The Fossil Rim Wildlife Sanctuary is located southwest of
Dallas, Texas. "At Fossil Rim Wildlife Center there are over 1,100
exotic and endangered animals of 60 species from around the world, and
some from right here in Texas." Here you will find the scientific name,
a nice photo and a brief description of each species.
-
ZooLinks
Official Zoo Homepages all over the world plus links to Zoo-related information. -
Welcome to NetVet Veterinary Resources and the Electronic Zoo
"NetVet & the Electronic Zoo originate from the vivid imagination and late night web-surfing of Dr. Ken Boschert, a Veterinarian at Washington University's Division of Comparative Medicine, located in St. Louis, Missouri."
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