FIND MORE ABOUT THE TOPYC

Animals live in almost 

every corner of the world

They swim in the oceans, walk or run across the land, and fly through the air. The biggest animal on land, the African elephant, weighs as much as a farm tractor. You would need a microscope to see the smallest animals.

• Animal groups

We divide animals into two main groups: vertebrates (animals with backbones) and invertebrates (animals without backbones). Within each group there are many kinds of animal. 




For example, roundworms and sponges are two different kinds of invertebrate, and lions and pelicans are two different kinds of vertebrate.

• Biggest of all

The blue whale is the biggest animal on Earth. An average female weighs as much as 120 tonnes and is around 26 metres in length.

• Lots of insects.

Insects are the biggest group of animals. There are more than one million different kinds. All adult insects have six legs, and most can fly.