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Animals & Nature
vertebrate
animal
Also known as: Craniata, Vertebrata
major vertebrate groups
Category:
Animals & Nature
- Also called:
- Craniata
- Related Topics:
- reptile
- fish
- bird
- mammal
- chondrichthyan
- On the Web:
- PNAS - Vertebrate innovations (Feb. 13, 2024)
vertebrate, any animal of the subphylum Vertebrata, the predominant subphylum of the phylum Chordata. They have backbones, from which they derive their name. The vertebrates are also characterized by a muscular system consisting primarily of bilaterally paired masses and a central nervous system partly enclosed within the backbone. The subphylum is one of the best known of all groups of animals. Its members include the classes Agnatha, Chondrichthyes, and Osteichthyes (all fishes); Amphibia (amphibians); Reptilia (reptiles); Aves (birds); and Mammalia (mammals). Although the vertebral column is perhaps the most obvious vertebrate feature, it was not present in the first vertebrates, ...(100 of 4116 words)