Wildlife Fact Sheets

The TPWD web site has many additional wildlife fact sheets and an extensive plant database .

algae TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Algae are single to multicellular organisms that normally contain chlorophyll and carry on photosynthesis. Most algae are found in wet or damp environments. Single-celled algae generally have the ability to move around in their environment and are important producers of food and oxygen. Multi-celled algae resemble plants. This group includes: single-celled euglenophytes, diatoms and dinoflagellates and multi-celled green, brown and red algae.

webbed foot for swimming TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Amphibians typically are cold-blooded vertebrates which change from an aquatic, water-breathing, limbless larva (or tadpole) to a terrestrial or partially terrestrial, air-breathing, four-legged adult. This group includes: frogs and toads, salamanders and newts, and caecilians (limbless amphibians).

Spider. TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Arachnids are cold-blooded invertebrates covered by an exoskeleton. They have simple eyes that only detect light and dark, eight legs and a body that's divided into two segments: cephalothorax and abdomen. This group includes: spiders, daddy longlegs, mites and ticks, and scorpions.

Bird feathers. TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Birds are warm-blooded, air-breathing vertebrates. Their body is covered with feathers. Birds have beaks, wings and scale covered legs. All birds lay eggs that are covered with a calcium carbonate shell.

Shrimp. TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Crustaceans are cold-blooded invertebrates covered by an exoskeleton, which they must periodically shed in order to grow larger. They also have jointed bodies and legs. Most live in wet environments. This group includes: shrimp, crabs, lobsters and crayfish, barnacles and water fleas, and sow bugs.

Starfish. TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Echinoderms are cold-blooded, ocean dwelling spiny-skinned invertebrates covered with a skeleton of plates and spines made of calcium carbonate. Echinoderms use water pressure in a unique circulatory system for movement, feeding and obtaining oxygen. This group includes: starfish, sea urchins, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, and crinoids.

Fish scales and fins. TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Fish are scaled, cold-blooded vertebrates found in water environments. They fall into three main groups: agnatha or jawless fish, chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fish and osteichthyes or bony fish. Most fish lay eggs, though a few species give birth to live young. This group includes: Agnatha - lampreys and hagfish, Chondrichthyes - sharks, skates and rays, and Osteichthyes - all other fish.

mushrooms TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Fungi are made up of tubular cells that have thick cell walls. Fungi feed by releasing digestive enzymes into their environment and absorbing the digested material back through their cell walls. They reproduce through the use of reproductive cells called spores. This group includes: mushrooms and fungi, yeasts, and molds.

bee TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Insects are cold-blooded invertebrates covered by an exoskeleton. Their body consists of three regions: head, thorax and abdomen. They have antennae and six legs. They make up 75% of all the animal species on earth.

cat mouth, with fur TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Mammals are warm-blooded air-breathing vertebrates. Their body is covered with hair. All mammals feed their young milk. Most mammals give birth to miniature versions of themselves. This group includes: Monotremes - duckbilled platypus, echidnas, Marsupials - opossums, kangaroos, and Placentals - most other mammals.

Snail TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Mollusks are soft bodied, cold-blooded invertebrates that are covered with a shell made of calcium carbonate. They are divided into 3 groups: bivalves or two-shelled mollusks, gastropods or stomach-footed mollusks, and cephalopods or head-footed mollusks. This group includes: Bivalves - clams, scallops and oysters, Gastropods - snails and slugs, Cephalopods - octopus, squid and chambered nautilus.

Worm TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Other Invertebrates consist of all the cold-blooded, soft-bodied animals that do not fall into the mollusk, echinoderm, insect, arachnid and crustacean groups. This group includes: sponges and coelenterates and round, flat and segmented worms.

Leaves. TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Plants are multicellular, non-mobile, photosynthesizing organisms adapted to live on land. They consist of leave and/or stems that capture the sun's energy and an underground root system. This group includes: moss and liverworts, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants.

Pit viper snake eye and scales. TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming. Reptiles are cold-blooded air-breathing vertebrates. A tough leathery skin that has embedded scales covers their body. Most reptiles lay eggs, though some give birth to fully-formed young. This group includes: crocodiles and alligators, turtles, snakes, and lizards and tuatara.

raptor claw reaching for field mouse. TPWD illustration by Rob Flemming.

Wildlife Communities are populations of plants and animals existing together in a specific habitat. Energy enters this community in the form of sunshine, which is captured by plants. The plants are eaten by herbivores, which in turn are fed upon by various levels of carnivores. Decomposing organisms recycle dead and waste materials back into the system. This energy flow forms a complex web connecting all organisms in the community.

[top]