My Observations
Table of Contents
N Naturalistic observation, sometimes referred to as fieldwork, is a valuable form of empirical data collection in research methodology across numerous fields of science (including ethology, anthropology, linguistics, social sciences, and psychology) in which data are collected as they occur in nature, without any manipulation by the observer.
Examples range from watching an animal’s eating patterns in the forest to observing the behavior of students in a school setting.
These are, of course, not the only animals I’ve witnessed during my time here. But I’m adding to the list all the time so we’ll see how much I manage to cover before I die.
Amphibians
Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniotic, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all tetrapods but excluding the amniotes (tetrapods with an amniotic membrane, such as modern reptiles, birds, and mammals).
All living amphibians belong to the monophyletic subclass Lissamphibia, with three living orders: Anura (frogs and toads), Urodela (salamanders), and Gymnophiona (caecilians).
Evolved to be mostly semiaquatic, amphibians have adapted to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living in freshwater, wetland, or terrestrial ecosystems (such as riparian woodland, fossorial, and even arboreal habitats). Their life cycle typically starts out as aquatic larvae with gills known as tadpoles, but some species have developed behavioral adaptations to bypass this.
Birds
Birds are vertebrate animals constituting the class Aves, characterized by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton.
They are warm-blooded, live worldwide, and range in size from the 5.5 cm bee hummingbird to the 2.8 m common ostrich.
There are over 11,000 living species of birds, classified in 44 orders. More than half of the world’s bird species are passerine or “perching” birds.
Nearly all birds have wings whose development varies according to each species.
Fish
A fish is an aquatic, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with a tough cranium to protect the brain but lacking limbs with digits.
Fish can be grouped into the more basal jawless fish and the more common jawed fish, the latter including all living cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as the extinct placoderms and acanthodians.
In English, the plural of “fish” is “fish” when referring to individuals and “fishes” when referring to species.
Fungus
A fungus (pl.: fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. These organisms are classified in the biological kingdom Fungi.
A characteristic that places fungus in a different kingdom from plants, bacteria, and some protists is having chitin in their cell walls.
Fungi, like animals, are heterotrophs: they acquire their nutrition by absorbing dissolved organic molecules, typically by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. A fungus does not perform photosynthesis.
Growth is their means of motility, except for spores, which may travel through the air or water.
Fungi are the principal decomposers in ecological systems
Insects
Insects (from Latin insectum) are invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum.
Insects have an exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and a pair of antennae.
Insects are the most diverse group of animals, with more than a million described species; they represent more than half of all animal species living today.
Mammals
A mammal (from Latin mamma ‘breast’) is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia. Mammals are characterized by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones.
These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds, from which their ancestors diverged in the Carboniferous period over 300 million years ago.
Around 6,640 extant species of mammals have been described and divided into 27 orders.
The study of mammals is called mammalogy.
Mollusca
Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks.
86,600 living species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda (insects and such).
The number of additional fossil species is estimated between 60,000 and 100,000, and the proportion of undescribed extant species is very high. Mollusca remain poorly studied.
Reptiles
Reptiles, as commonly defined, are tetrapod vertebrate animals with an ectothermic metabolism and amniotic development.
Reptiles traditionally comprise four orders: Testudines (turtles), Crocodilia (crocodiles, alligators, and gharials), Squamata (lizards and snakes), and Rhynchocephalia (tuatara), with about 12,000 living species listed in the Reptile Database.
The study of the traditional reptile orders, customarily in combination with the study of modern amphibians, is called herpetology.
