Although these words sound scientific, they are commonly used to describe animal families or behavior. Arachnids are arthropods, such as spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks. Carnivores are flesh-eating animals, like lions. Cetaceans are ocean mammals, including whales and dolphins. Diurnal animals, such as squirrels, are awake during the day.
Herbivores are animals, such as deer, who eat plants.
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, such as worms. Marsupials are families of mammals, such as kangaroos and opossums, whose females carry their young in an external pouch. Nocturnal animals, such as owls, are awake at night. Omnivorous animals, such as bears, eat meat and plants. Pinnipeds are aquatic mammals with flippers, like seals and walruses.