Vertebrates and invertebrates
Mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians, and the invertebrate groups: insects, arachnids, crustaceans, myriapods, molluscs, annelids, cnidarians, echinoderms and sponges.
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Teaching Guide: Classifying Animals in Primary and Lower Secondary
Sorting animals by their features is one of the first topics in primary science and the basis of biology in Grade 7. This free animal classification worksheet generator makes A4 worksheets with our own line drawings and an answer key: from vertebrates and invertebrates in Grade 1 to using and completing dichotomous keys in lower secondary.
Student worksheet 
Answer key How they live
Diet (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores), reproduction (live young or eggs), body covering and breathing (lungs, gills, skin, tracheae).
Tick or sort
Each animal with the options to tick under its picture, or a table to write each name in its group's column.
Animal fact file
One animal and all its features: group, diet, body covering, reproduction and breathing.
Dichotomous keys
Keys built from the animals' features, with exactly one path to each animal: identify animals with the key, or complete it.
Answer key
The answers in red and, for the keys, the path to each animal (1a → 2b → 4a).
Frequently Asked Questions about the Animal Classification Worksheets
Which animals appear at each level?
Level 1 uses well-known animals that clearly fit one group (cat, cow, eagle, sardine). Level 2 adds less familiar ones, and level 3 the cases that make pupils think: bats and whales are mammals, a penguin is a bird, the platypus is a mammal that lays eggs and a seahorse is a fish.
Why are some animals left out of some classifications?
Only clear-cut facts are asked. The dog is left out of diet, since books classify it in different ways, and the shark is left out of reproduction, since some sharks give birth to live young and others lay eggs. So every answer in the answer key is beyond doubt.
How are the dichotomous keys made?
They are built from each animal's features (backbone, feathers, fur, fins, number of legs, antennae, pincers, shell…): at each step the key splits the group in two until every animal stands alone, so each one has exactly one path. The answer key gives the path to each animal. For more on living things, see also natural cycles.
What is the animal fact file?
One animal with all its features: at level 1 pupils tick its group, diet and body covering; at level 2 also its reproduction and breathing; at level 3 they write the answers with no options.
Can I mix exercises on one worksheet?
Yes. Add as many exercises as you like of each type and level, and from other generators such as the human body or English picture vocabulary. Then drag them, move them or separate them with a page break.
Is any data sent to a server?
No. The worksheets are made in your browser and templates are saved in your browser's memory.
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