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💡 Same animal, many groups
Is a tiger a ‘carnivore’, a ‘day-active animal’ or a ‘forest animal’? It can fit all three — so which features should we actually use to group life?
Activity 12.1 — Let us compare and classify
In this Activity, we will compare and classify the animals of an ecosystem by observing where they live and when they are active.
Activity 12.1 - Compare and Classify
Step 1
Observe the animals in Fig 12.2
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Step 2
Note where each is seen and when active
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Step 3
Record in Table 12.1
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Step 4
Group them by different criteria
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The same animal fits many groups
- Observe Fig. 12.2 carefully and identify the animals you can see.
- Note where each animal is seen and whether it is active during the day, the night, or both.
- Record your observations in Table 12.1.
- Now try grouping the same organisms in more than one way, changing the criterion each time (Table 12.2).
What we observe
The same organism can fit into
different groups
depending on the criterion chosen — which leads us to ask how scientists decide the right features for classification.
| Organism (draw or write name) | Where do you see it? (flying high in air / flying near the ground / tree / water / forest floor) | When does it appear to be active? (day / night / unsure) | Any visible feature(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owl | Tree | Night | Feathers |
| The grouping criterion | Which organisms fit in this group? | What feature or pattern helped you decide? |
|---|---|---|
| Carnivore | Eagle, tiger, leopard | Eating habits |
✅ Test Yourself
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Name any three criteria used to classify living organisms.
Show answer
External features, mode of nutrition and cell structure. (Internal structures, ecological role, reproduction and genetic similarity are also used.) -
Can the same organism fit into more than one group?
Show answer
Yes. The group an organism falls into depends on the criterion chosen — a tiger is a carnivore by eating habit, and a forest animal by habitat.
