WEEK ONE
SECOND TERM
SUBJECT: AGRIC SCIENCE
CLASS: GRADE 7
TOPIC: CLASSES,
DISTRIBUTION AND USES OF FARM ANIMALS IN NIGERIA
FARM ANIMALS:
Farm animals are those animals kept by man for economic and social uses. They
are otherwise called livestock and are also referred to as domestic animals.
This is because man brought them from their wild state into human environment
and made them docile and friendly. These animals therefore depend on man for
their daily existence such as food, shelter and health care. Examples of farm
animals include cattle, sheep, goat, pigs, poultry, rabbits etc.
CLASSIFICATION OF FARM
ANIMALS ZOOLOGICALLY: Zoologically farm animals are
classified into mammals and non-mammals;
1. Mammals: Mammals
are farm animals with the following characteristics:-
a.
They give birth to their young ones alive (viviparous).
b.
Mammals breast feed their young ones with milk from their mammary gland.
c.
They have backbone (vertebrates).
d.
They are warm-blooded animals.
e.
Examples of mammals are: cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, horses etc
2. Non-Mammals:
The following groups of animals belong to non-mammals:
a. Birds (Aves):
Birds are non-mammals and have the following characteristics:
i.
They lay eggs that hatch out to produce young ones if fertilized (oviparous).
ii.
They are warm-blooded animals.
iii.
Their bodies are covered with feathers. Examples of birds include chicken,
turkey, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, peacock, etc.
b. Reptiles: They
are non-mammals. They have these characteristics;
i.
They are cold blooded animals.
ii. They creep or crawl in movement.
iii.
Reptiles lay eggs.
iv.
Their bodies are covered with scales.
v.
Majority of them live on land, while very few live in water.
vi.
Examples of reptiles include lizard, turtles, snake, and crocodiles etc.
c. Fishes: Fishes
are non-mammals
i.
They live permanently in water (cold-blooded).
ii.
They lay thousands of eggs which hatch out to produce young ones.
iii.
They have fins which help them to swim and move in water.
iv.
They breathe through their gills.
v.
Most of them have scales on their bodies.
vi.
Examples of fishes include shark, tilapia, catfish, etc.
d. Amphibians: Amphibians
are non-mammals:
i.
They live partly on land and partly in water.
ii.
They are cold-blooded.
iii.
They are of little or no agricultural importance. Examples include toads,
frogs.
ANALOGICAL
CLASSIFICATION OF FARM ANIMALS BASED ON THEIR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Farm
animals may also be classified based on the type of stomach they have, which is
their digestive system. Based on that there are:
i.
The ruminant and
ii.
The non- ruminant
i. The ruminant: The word “ruminant” is used to describe those
animals with four stomach compartments and are also referred to as poly-gastric.
The ruminants chew the curd, that is, they bring back food from the stomach
(regurgitation) and chew it again. The four stomach compartments of the
ruminants are the rumen, reticulum, omasum and obomasum. Obomasum is regarded
as the true stomach. It functions like the stomach of the non-ruminants during
digestion of food. The unique stomach pattern of the ruminants enable them feed
on low quality food like grasses and utilize fibre effectively. These feeds
stuffs are not eaten by man and non-ruminants like pigs and poultry. The
effective utilization of these food materials is due to the presence of
bacteria in their stomach that digest them. Cattle, sheep and goat are the
typical ruminants.
ii. The Non-Ruminant: These
are also called monogastrics because they have simple stomach chamber. Typical
examples of the non-ruminant are pigs and poultry. Due to the simple nature of
their digestive system, the non-ruminants do not have the power to handle
volumes of grasses and roughages like the ruminant animals. They depend mainly
on concentrate feeds like maize, soya-bean, wheat, etc. These feed materials
are also consumed by man who also is a non-ruminant, and so, the non-ruminants
compete with man for food.
ASSIGNMENT
OBJECTIVE:
1.
Cattle sheep and goat are referred to as ruminants because they A. chew their
cud B. digest fibres C. have hair on their skin D. posses one stomach
compartment E. walk on four legs
2.
The following are examples of mammals except A. cattle B. duck C. goat D.
rabbit E. sheep
3.
Which of the following is not a non-mammal? A. birds B. reptiles C. fishes D.
amphibians E. cattle
4.
Animals that give birth to their young ones alive are called A. viviparous B.
oviparous C. oviduct D. ovum E. parous
5.
Animals that live partly on land and partly in water are called A. amphibian B.
reptiles C. aves D. fishes E. birds
6.
Which of the following aquatic animal is a fish? A. crab B. lobster C. prawn D.
shark E. shrimp
THEORY:
1.
What are farm animals? Identify any five farm animals.
2.
Classify farm animals zoologically.
3.
Classify farm animals based on stomach type.
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