There are many features that you can use to classify animals. But some features are more useful than others. Useful features lead you to group animals that are similar.
Read the passage or listen to the audio called 'The tale of Salty Sam'. As you read, note the names of the animals.
And notice that the passage is a story - it is very different from the scientific definitions you have been reading and writing. Try to identify the features of the story that make it different from the way definitions, or report text types, are often written.
Pay special attention to the following features of scientific definitions.
- Definitions are written in present tense
- Definitions often contain technical words
- Definitions are usually generalised
- Definitions are objective.
Click on the audio icon for sound. The tale of Salty Sam 
Salty Sam was a fisherman who sailed the ocean blue. Everyday he would go out in his boat, cast his net and haul in his catch. Some days were good, some were bad.
Things were not going too well for Salty. His boat needed repairs, his wife was sick and his children had no shoes. He really needed to make some money. Everyday he went out, fished and caught only enough for the family to eat. Things were grim indeed.
It was a Monday, like any other Monday. At least, that's what Salty thought. As usual, he cast off, sailed out of the harbour and threw out his net. Then, as usual, he started to haul in his net. But, instead of the net being easy to pull in, it was incredibly heavy. He strained against the weight. He pulled, tugged, gritted his teeth and struggled with the weight until at last the net was once again on the deck.
He could not believe his eyes. He rubbed them and surveyed the catch with his mouth open in disbelief. This would have to be the strangest collection of animals that he'd ever landed.
'What will I do with all these animals?' he thought. 'I know, I'll sell the animals that can be eaten to the local shops - the squid and sardines to the Italian restaurant, the tuna to the Japanese restaurant, the crab and the shark to the fish and chip shop.'
'What about the rest of the catch?' He looked at each animal in turn. The sea urchin and the starfish he could sell to the shop that sells sea shells and dried sea animals to the tourists. The jellyfish? Well, nobody needed or wanted that so he threw it over the side. So off went Salty Sam, smiling and happy. What a day!
Here are the animals that Salty Sam caught.
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