Biology - Animal Kingdom

DescriptionThe basic fundamental features such as level of organisation, symmetry, cell organisation, coelom, segmentation, notochord, etc. , have enabled us to broadly classify the animal kingdom. Besides the fundamental features, there are many other distinctive characters which are specific for each phyla or class.

Porifera includes multicellular animals which exhibit cellular level of organisation and have characteristic flagellated choanocytes. The oelenterates have tentacles and bear cnidoblasts. They are mostly aquatic, sessile or free-floating.

The ctenophores are marine animals with comb plates. The platyhelminths have flat body and exhibit bilateral symmetry. The parasitic forms show distinct suckers and hooks.

Aschelminthes are seudocoelomates and include parasitic as well as non-parasitic roundworms. Annelids are metamerically segmented animals with a true coelom. The arthropods are the most abundant group of animals characterised by the presence of jointed appendages.