Classification of the Animals Based on Environment: A Proposal to Minimization of the Mistakes in the Theophrastus’ Classification

The objective of this article was to analyze the classification of the Animals based on Environment. The main materials used were two books and an educative YouTube video about terrestrial and aerial and aquatic Animals. The methods used were bibliographical and documentary research; each method used was accompanied by profound personal reflections about Theophrastus’ classification. This article is important for Biology teachers who teach the classification of the Animals based on Environment, because presents a proposal of classification of the Animals that minimizes the mistakes that exist in the Theophrastus’ classification. Theophrastus was a philosopher of Ancient Greek who used the word Terrestrials to designate only those Animals that live in the Soil and move on the Soil, and who classified Animals according to the Environment in Aerial, Aquatic and Terrestrial Animals. In the Theophrastus’ classification, the Aerial Animals that normally live immersed in the atmospheric Air, for example Man and Monkey, are considered Terrestrial Animals. The main mistakes that exist in the Theophrastus’ classification are the consideration of various Aerial Animals as being Terrestrial and the lack of a proper name to designate the group of Animals that normally live immersed in the Soil. The Earth is not the Soil and the word Terrestrials is not appropriate to designate only those Animals that live in the Soil and move on the Soil because is applied to any Animal that exists in the Planet Earth, the appropriate word to designate only those Animals that live in the Soil is the word Solumials or Solumics because is formed by adding the English suffix <i>ials</i> or <i>ics</i> to the Latin root <i>Solum</i> which means Soil in English. To minimize the mistakes that exist in the Theophrastus’ classification is proposed the comprehension of that, the Terrestrial Animals are all the Animals that exist in the Planet Earth and the Animals are classified according to the Environment in Aerial and Aquatic and Solumial or Solumic Animals. The Environments of the Planet Earth in which the Animals can live are the Atmosphere formed by atmospheric Air, the Hydrosphere formed by Water and the Lithosphere composed by Soil. Based on Environment, the Aerial Animals are those that live immersed in the atmospheric Air, example Man; the Aquatic Animals are those that live immersed in the Water, example Fish; the Solumial or Solumic Animals are those that live immersed in the Soil, example Mole.