Hydrostatic skeletons, exoskeletons and endoskeletons give support and enable movement.
Hydrostatic (worms, cnidarians), exoskeletons (arthropods, molluscs) and endoskeletons (vertebrates, echinoderms). Bones store calcium and produce blood cells.
Skeleton type affects movement and size. Endoskeletons grow with the animal. Exoskeletons limit growth.
Key idea: skeletons support, protect and anchor muscles.
Hydrostatic skeletons, exoskeletons and endoskeletons give support and enable movement.
Animal Skeletons is one of the 53 topics in Zoology & Animal Diversity. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Vertebrates and Invertebrates, Protostomes and Deuterostomes, Cnidarians.
Sharks have cartilage skeletons that are lighter and more flexible.
Work through the Beginner topics in Zoology & Animal Diversity first, such as Animal Kingdom, Vertebrates and Invertebrates, Sponges, then return to Animal Skeletons. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Animal Skeletons are Vertebrates and Invertebrates, Protostomes and Deuterostomes, Cnidarians, Body Cavities. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Animal Skeletons. To practise the whole of Zoology & Animal Diversity, use the Zoology & Animal Diversity quiz.
Animal Skeletons: Hydrostatic skeletons, exoskeletons and endoskeletons give support and enable movement. Vertebrates and Invertebrates: Vertebrates have a backbone; invertebrates, which are over 95 percent of animals, do not. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Vertebrates and Invertebrates and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Zoology & Animal Diversity quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Vertebrates have a backbone; invertebrates, which are over 95 percent of animals, do not.
🦁 Zoology & Animal DiversityTwo animal lineages differing in embryonic development; deuterostomes include echinoderms and chordates.
🦁 Zoology & Animal DiversityRadially symmetric animals with stinging cells, including jellyfish, corals and sea anemones.
🦁 Zoology & Animal DiversityAcoelomate, pseudocoelomate and coelomate animals differ in how the fluid-filled cavity around organs is formed.
🦁 Zoology & Animal Diversity