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( Terrestrial animal)
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land, as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water (e.g., fish, lobsters, octopuses), or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats (e.g., frogs or some crabs). Terrestrial animals evolved from marine animals (aquatic animals living in the ocean). The term terrestrial is also frequently used for species that live primarily on the ground, in contrast to arboreal species, which live primarily in trees. Terrestrial animals do not form a unified clade, rather they share only the fact that they are animals which live on land. The transition from an aquatic to terrestrial life has evolved independently and successfully many times by various animals. When excluding internal parasites, free living species in terrestrial environments are represented by the following ten phyla; Flatworms (Planaria), Nemertea (ribbon worms), Nematoda (roundworms), Rotifers, Tardigrada (water bears), Onychophora (velvet worms), Arthropods, mollusks (gastropods), Annelida and Chordata (tetrapods). The roundworms, tardigrades and rotifers are microscopic animals that requires a film of water to live in, and are not considered truly terrestrial. Flatworms, ribbon worms, velvet worms and annelids all depends on more or less moist habitats, while the three remaining ones, arthropods, gastropods and tetrapods, are the only ones with species who have adapted to really dry environments. Classifying an animal species as terrestrial is often a matter of disputed judgment.
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Terrestrial animal Subcategories
Terrestrial animal Articles
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