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AMPHIBIANS
Scientists believe that proto-amphibians were the first vertebrate animals to leave water and become terrestrial. Thanks to their sensitivity to environmental changes amphibians also act as an early warning system of ecosystem health. |
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BIRDS
There are close to 10,000 known bird species worldwide. Birds are important pollinators, seed dispersers and sometimes scavengers. |
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FISHES
There are approximately 20,000 different species of fishes worldwide that can range in size from half-inch gobbies to a 45 ft whale shark. |
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INVERTEBRATES
Invertebrates are a dominant force in the majority of ecosystems through their ecological function, species richness, and biomass; which is fitting since they represent over 95% of all known animals on the planet. |
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MAMMALS
Discovering mammals new to science is rare, but scientists still find a few, especially small mammals, in the remote places of the Earth. |
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PLANTS
Plants are the most critical component of the biosphere – without plants no animal life would be possible. There are over 425,000 different types of plants in the world which need water air, and sunlight to live. |
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REPTILES
Reptiles are divided into several major groups: turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes), and rhynchocephalians (tuatara). |