Vertebrate
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| Vertebrata | |
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| File:Vertebrates.png | |
| Examples from each major vertebrate group: clockwise, starting from top left:
Fire salamander (Amphibia), saltwater crocodile (Reptilia), southern cassowary (Aves), shrew (Mammalia), ocean sunfish (Osteichthyes) | |
| Scientific classification Template:Edit taxonomy | |
| Binomial name | |
| Template:Automatic taxobox/is species |
A vertebrate is an animal with a spinal cord surrounded by cartilage or bone. The word comes from vertebrae, the bones that make up the spine. Animals that are not vertebrates are called invertebrates. Vertebrates include birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. The parts of the vertebrate skeleton are:
- Braincase: A braincase or cranium protects the brain.
- Vertebrae: A series of short, stiff vertebrae are separated by joints. This internal backbone protects the spinal cord. The joints between the vertebrae let the backbone bend.
- Bones: support and protect the body's soft tissues and provides points for muscle attachment.
- Gill arches: Gill arches in the pharynx of fish and some amphibians support the gills. In the majority of vertebrates some of the arches have evolved into other organs, such as jaws.
Examples of vertebrates are mammals, birds, and fish. A few tens of thousands of species have been identified. The term "fish" is used to describe at least four different kinds of vertebrates.
Taxonomy and classification
- Subphylum Vertebrata
- Agnatha (jawless vertebrates)
- †Conodonta
- †Pteraspidomorphi
- Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates)
- †Placodermi (Paleozoic armoured forms)
- Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)
- †Acanthodii (Paleozoic "spiny sharks")
- Osteichthyes (bony fish)
- Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)
- Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish)
- Coelacanthimorpha (coelacanths)
- Dipnoi (lungfish)
- Tetrapoda (four-limbed vertebrates)
Related pages
References
Other websites
| 40x40px | Wikispecies has information on: Vertebrata. |
| Vertebrates |
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| Amphibian • Bird • Fish • Mammal • Reptile |
