Human impact on the environment or anthropogenic impact on the environment includes impacts on biophysical environments, biodiversity, and other resources. The term anthropogenic designates an effect or object resulting from human activity.
Animals can be divided broadly into vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrates have a backbone or spine (vertebral column), and amount to less than five percent of all described animal species. They include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The remaining animals are the invertebrates, which lack a backbone. These include molluscs (clams, oysters, octopuses, squid, snails); arthropods (millipedes, centipedes, insects, spiders, scorpions, crabs, lobsters, shrimp); annelids (earthworms, leeches), cnidarians (jellyfish, sea anemones, corals), and sponges.
Animals that have a backbone are called vertebrates. The backbone is is a column of bones that supports the body, and also protects the spinal cord. The back is made up of many separate bones, called vertebrae. The backbone is part of a vertebrateâs supportive internal skeleton. Most vertebrates have two pairs of limbs. In fish these take the form of fins, but in other vertebrates they are legs, arms, flippers, or wings. Some vertebrates, such as snakes, have no external limbs. Animals with backbones include mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates make up just 3 per cent of all known animal species. Animals and Nature âº The Animal Kingdom âº What is a vertebrate? âº