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Invertebrate Zoology
Invertebrate Zoology 100 Hours Certificate Course
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Learn About Invertebrate Zoology
Invertebrate Zoology Course Online: Develop a better understanding of invertebrate animals and how their existence contributes to our ecosystem. This is a focused course with the emphasis on learning about spineless creatures, from the microscopic to those that can be seen with the naked eye.
There are similarities and differences between vertebrate and invertebrate animals:
- Vertebrates have a backbone or a spinal column; invertebrates don’t.
- Apart from some bacteria, both vertebrates and invertebrates are heterotrophic, meaning that they rely on other organisms in the food chain for food.
- Invertebrates are classified into thirty phylia, whereas there are just five classifications of vertebrates: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
- 98% of the animal kingdom is made up of invertebrates, so they far outnumber vertebrates.
- However, vertebrates redress this imbalance by taking up more space in the world; they are larger in size.
- There are approximately 2 million species of invertebrates identified by scientists, with more still to be named. This compares with a mere 57,739 known vertebrates.
The importance of invertebrates to the earth’s ecosystem cannot be ignored. Worms for example aerate the soil and insects like bees, carry pollen from one plant to another. Without this, new plants wouldn’t grow and their crucial part in converting nitrogen into oxygen wouldn’t happen. Therefore, the habitats of invertebrates should be preserved and even minor features of where they live and reproduce, can be vital to their continuing survival.
It’s an interesting fact that 80% of the World’s population eats insects. Here are some examples:Â
- Agave Worms – large fat moth larvae; eaten as part of a meal in Mexico.
- Leafcutter Ants – said to taste like a cross between pistachio and bacon; eaten in South America.
- Honeypot Ants – part of the body is swollen and filled with a nectar like substance.
- Bee larvae – sautéed in butter.
- Centipedes – sold and eaten as street food on skewers in China.
- Cicadas – harvested just after moulting when the body is softer and tender. Eaten in parts of Asia
- Crickets – eaten in South East Asia and Mexico, either fried, roasted or boiled.
- Grasshoppers – roasted and eaten with chilli in Mexico.
- Termites – taken from mounds and eaten raw in Kenya.
This course is ideal for anyone who requires a sound understanding of invertebrates in their profession, for environmental purposes, to prepare to take a biology degree, for professional development, or even for self-education in the subject.Â
Course Information
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