Vertebrate Invertebrate English ESL Worksheets For Distance, 44% OFF - Free Printable

This worksheet has two main tasks. I will solve them one by one, explaining the biological reasoning behind each answer.

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Task 1: Choose the correct phylum for each invertebrate.

I need to identify the correct phylum for each animal listed. The options are phyla like Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Porifera, Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida (worm).

Let me go through each one:

- Brittle star: This is a type of echinoderm, related to starfish and sea urchins.
- *Correct choice: echinoderm*

- Flea: A small, jumping insect with an exoskeleton. Insects are part of the arthropod phylum.
- *Correct choice: arthropod*

- Sea anemone: Has tentacles and stinging cells; it’s a cnidarian, like jellyfish and corals.
- *Correct choice: cnidarian*

- Sea sponge: Simple, filter-feeding animals with no true tissues; they belong to the phylum Porifera.
- *Correct choice: porifera*

- Scallop: A bivalve mollusk with a shell.
- *Correct choice: mollusk*

- Leech: A segmented worm, belonging to the phylum Annelida.
- *Correct choice: worm*

- Sea urchin: Another echinoderm, with spiny skin.
- *Correct choice: echinoderm*

- Tapeworm: A parasitic flatworm, belonging to the phylum Platyhelminthes, which is often grouped under “worms” in elementary contexts.
- *Correct choice: worm*

- Coral: Made of tiny polyps that are cnidarians.
- *Correct choice: cnidarian*

- Sea sponge (again): As above, it's a poriferan.
- *Correct choice: porifera*

- Tick: A small arachnid with eight legs, part of the arthropod phylum.
- *Correct choice: arthropod*

- Octopus: A soft-bodied mollusk with arms and a beak.
- *Correct choice: mollusk*

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Task 2: Circle the animal that does not belong in each class.

This task asks to identify the outlier in each group based on biological classification.

#### Insects
Animals shown: bumblebee, earwig, scorpion, potato bug.

- Bumblebee: insect (6 legs, 3 body parts)
- Earwig: insect
- Potato bug (pill bug/isopod): actually a crustacean, not an insect
- Scorpion: arachnid (8 legs), not an insect

Wait — both scorpion and potato bug are not insects. But the instruction says “circle the animal,” implying one per group. Let’s check the biological accuracy.

Actually, scorpion is the clear outlier here. While potato bugs (isopods) are sometimes mistakenly called “bugs,” they are crustaceans, but scorpions are arachnids — a completely different class from insects. In educational contexts, scorpion is typically the intended answer because it’s clearly not an insect (8 legs vs. 6). Potato bugs might be confusing, but they are still more closely related to crustaceans than scorpions are to insects.

✔ Circle: scorpion

#### Crustaceans
Animals shown: kissing bug, hermit crab, crab, shrimp.

- Hermit crab: crustacean
- Crab: crustacean
- Shrimp: crustacean
- Kissing bug: this is an insect (a type of true bug), not a crustacean.

✔ Circle: kissing bug

#### Arachnids
Animals shown: black widow, tick, cave spider, termite.

- Black widow: spider → arachnid
- Tick: arachnid
- Cave spider: spider → arachnid
- Termite: insect (6 legs, wings in adults)

✔ Circle: termite

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✔ Final Answers:

Task 1: Correct Phylum Choices

| Animal | Correct Phylum |
|----------------|----------------|
| Brittle star | echinoderm |
| Flea | arthropod |
| Sea anemone | cnidarian |
| Sea sponge | porifera |
| Scallop | mollusk |
| Leech | worm |
| Sea urchin | echinoderm |
| Tapeworm | worm |
| Coral | cnidarian |
| Sea sponge | porifera |
| Tick | arthropod |
| Octopus | mollusk |

Task 2: Outliers to Circle

- Insects: scorpion
- Crustaceans: kissing bug
- Arachnids: termite

This completes the worksheet accurately based on biological classification.