The fossil record shows that animals originated in the aquatic environment, where they initially had a great evolutionary display. Later, came the conquest of the terrestrial environment, which began when environmental conditions such as oxygen levels and the formation of the ozone layer that protected against solar radiation developed. In this way, species of invertebrates and, later, of vertebrates made the complex transition from water to land, acquiring various traits that allowed them this type of life.
We invite you to continue reading this article on our site to obtain all the information on terrestrial animals, the differenttypes there are, their main characteristics and examplesconcrete.
What are land animals?
Land animals are those that develop exclusively on land and that do not depend at any time on the aquatic environment to carry out some vital process such as reproduction or feeding.
Classification of land animals
We can classify land animals according to the type of habitat. Thus, among terrestrial animals we find that some live on the surface of the earth, others lead a tree-like life , others live in the rocks, while others lead a life underground However, most land animals, such as birds, certain insects, and flying mammals, move through the air Finally, there are those that dwell in caves or caverns In short, we have the following land animals:
- Of surface
- Arboreal
- Undergrounds
- Troglodytes
- Rupícolas
- Flyers
There are also various animals that can lead an intermediate life between the terrestrial and the aquatic environment, since they develop some vital processes in each of the spaces, needing both to be able to live.
Characteristics of land animals
In order to adequately develop animal life on earth, the different beings had to acquire a series of characteristics that would allow them to successfully conquer this environment. Let us know below what these characteristics of terrestrial animals are:
- They have water balance Living outside the aquatic environment involved an extremely important challenge: avoiding body desiccation. For this, land animals have developed various strategies, such as specialized tissues that retain moisture in the body. Some produce bodily substances that keep them constantly moist.
- They resist gravity and have effective mobilization In the specific case of vertebrates, it was also a feat to live out of water, so that they had to remodel their skeleton in order to have adequate support for the new environment. Likewise, its limbs were transformed into strong structures capable of moving the animal's body.
- They have adaptations to withstand changes in temperature and humidity in the environmentVarious anatomical and physiological mechanisms were required to withstand the abrupt changes in temperature and humidity that occur on earth, and if they were not coped with and allowed adequate resistance, they would end up ending the life of the animal. In this sense, depending on the species, animals hibernate, estivate, diapause, expose themselves to the sun, take refuge in burrows, efficiently retain water, change their body cover such as fur or feathers, among other processes.
- They developed new forms of respiration The acquisition of a mechanism other than gill respiration and through the skin was necessary for land animals to have independence from water. Thus, the development of a type of lung that initially occurred in some types of fish, which was later optimized in amphibians, was the leap that allowed constant breathing out of the water. Another mechanism that is very common in insects is tracheal breathing, which occurs through pores or spiracles in the animal's skin. Some terrestrial animals continue to breathe through the skin by diffusion, others have a respiratory opening in one place on the body. Learn about all the types of respiration in animals in this other article.
- Some generated shell eggs The production of a shell egg in the ancestor lineage of reptiles, birds and mammals was a fact undoubtedly vital for terrestrial animals. This type of egg, which amphibians were unable to produce, and therefore continued to depend on water, became relevant for the reproduction of the first land animals of the vertebrate group, since it did not need water to stay hydrated while the embryo was developing.
Types of land animals
Land animals are represented by an important variety of different groups that, in most cases, the only thing they share is the environment where they live. Thus, we can find the following types of land animals:
- Invertebrates
- Vertebrates
Within invertebrate land animals we find the following types:
- Arthropods
- Mollusks
- Annelids
- Flatworms
As for vertebrate land animals, we have these types:
- Reptiles
- Birds
- Mammals
Examples of land animals
As we have mentioned, terrestrial animals are a very diverse group that are present in many habitats globally. Next, we name examples of terrestrial animals depending on the group to which they belong:
Examples of terrestrial arachnids
Arachnids belong to the class Arachnida and are part of the invertebrate animals. Although we may think that they are all terrestrial, the truth is that there are also aquatic species. Some examples of arachnids that do live on land are:
- Mites (Acariformes)
- Brazilian Yellow Scorpion (Tityus serrulatus)
- Black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans)
Examples of terrestrial diplopods
Diplopods are classified in the class Diplopoda, are popularly known as millipedes and, as a curious fact, are part of the first land animals. Some examples are:
- Yellow-spotted millipedes (Harpaphe haydeniana)
- Bumblebee millipedes (Anadenobolus monilicornis)
- Greenhouse millipedes (Oxidus gracilis)
Examples of terrestrial chilopods
Chilopods, commonly known as centipedes, are in the class Chilopoda and, unlike the previous ones, they only have one pair of legs per segment (the previous ones have two pairs). As an example we can mention:
- Brown centipede (Lithobius forficatus)
- House centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata)
- Mediterranean striped centipede (Scolopendra cingulate)
Examples of land insects
Are insects land animals? Most yes, but the truth is that there are also species adapted to live in the aquatic environment. Some of the examples we find on earth are:
- Emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator)
- Common Green Grasshopper (Tettigoria viridissima)
- Seven-spot ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata)
Examples of terrestrial gastropods
The gastropods, belonging to the class Gastropoda, are molluscs. Thus, some of them are marine, while others are terrestrial, like these:
- Roman snail (Helix pomatia)
- African land snail (Lissachatina fulica)
- Staircase snails (Diplommatinidae)
Examples of terrestrial oligochaetes
Oligechetes, known as earthworms or worms, are part of the class Clitellata, constituting the subclass Oligochaeta. Some are aquatic, while others, like these, are terrestrial:
- Giant earthworm (Megascolides australis)
- Common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris)
- Mekong worm (Amynthas mekongianus)
Examples of terrestrial turbellarians
Turbellarians, popularly called planaria or flatworms, are very small and are usually aquatic, although there are some terrestrial species, such as these:
- Arrowhead flatworm (Bipalium kewense)
- Australian flatworm (Australoplana sanguinea)
- Land Planaria (Polycladus)
Examples of terrestrial reptiles
You will probably know the reptiles that live between land and water environments, such as the famous crocodiles, but do you know reptiles with exclusively terrestrial habits? Some examples are:
- Indian Cobra (Naja naja)
- Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)
- Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
Examples of land birds
Interestingly, in the group of birds is where we have the fastest land animal in the world, the peregrine falcon! Did you know this information? Another of the animals considered to be the fastest on earth is the ostrich, which is also part of this group.
- Common Peacock (Pavo cristatus)
- Jungle Red Hen (Gallus gallus)
- Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
Examples of land mammals
Within mammals we find the largest land animals in the world, with the elephant at the top of this list. However, it is not the largest in the animal kingdom, this position is occupied by the blue whale. Some examples of mammals that live on land are:
- Tiger (Panthera tigris)
- Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)
- Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
Other land animals
Of course, the above are only a small part of the total land animals that inhabit the planet. For this reason, we mention other examples of animals that live on earth so that you know more species:
- European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
- Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis)
- Northern Giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis)
- Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
- Puma (Puma concolor)
- Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
- Red panda (Ailurus fulgens)
- Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta)
- Gazelle (Gazella gazella)
- Common Wall Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica)
