Animal Kingdom – A Little Piece of Earth
Animals are multicellular, single-celled organisms in the animal kingdom. They have no internal skeleton, nervous system, or blood flow. With few exceptions, animals eat meat, breathe oxygen, can move, can breed sexually, and reproduce. The most important traits that distinguish animals from plants and humans are: (i) animal consciousness, (ii) animal mobility, ( iii) animal digestion, ( iv) animal emotions, ( v) animal feelings.
Animals have mouths to feed, but their mouths are covered with a soft mucus membrane that prevents animal food from being ingested. In some placental mammals, a sound called babbling can be heard to alert other animals of the presence of food. Mucus is also secreted by many fish. To eat, an animal uses its incisors, claws, teeth, tongue, and gums.
A cat’s sense of smell is so acute that it can locate food even when it is miles away. A dog has the ability to follow trails of electrical currents using the electrotympathetic nerves in its ears. Although cats and dogs are not believed to have the intellect of humans, they do possess self-awareness. Humans have nine pairs of organs each in both the head and body. The head has the brain, while the body contains the vital organs.
Most animals have the ability to climb and move on two feet. The spinal cord controls the movements of all animals, including humans. The heart pumps blood through all organs, including the brain and the lungs. Insects have treadmills, while reptiles walk on their legs.
An animal’s sense of hearing consists of a series of tubes in its ear that send signals to the brain. Most animals have great eyesight, although cats are the only ones that use it for prey, rather than for vision. Birds have exceptionally good eyesight. The sense of taste is normally used by animals only, although it is used by some insects and some birds.
All animals have memory, but different animals may retain different kinds of information. Humans retain only brief bits of information, whereas animals retain long memories. Some animals may have emotions such as fear, while humans do not. Some animals dream, while humans have only simple imaginations. Birds have an incredible ability to remember songs and information.
Language is the means through which an animal communicates with us. It could be either vocal or non-vocal, depending on the species. Bees and dolphins use vocal cords to communicate. Dolphins have evolved the ability to communicate using clicks and chirps.
All animals are capable of love, respect, friendship and other human qualities. Animals have shown us that we can handle most things if we give them enough love and attention. The animals in our lives are a part of who we are.