Vertebrate, any animal of the subphylum Vertebrata. They have backbones and are also characterized by a muscular system consisting primarily of bilaterally paired masses and a central nervous system partly enclosed within the backbone.

vertebrate, Any animal of the chordate subphylum Vertebrata, which includes the fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Vertebrates have an internal skeleton formed of cartilage, bone, or both.

Subphylum Vertebrata (or Craniata) Bilaterally symmetrical; internal skeletal support with skull enclosing a highly developed brain and a vertebral column and nerve cord; paired, jointed appendages; skin; advanced organ systems; sense organs concentrated in head.

cephalochordate, any of more than two dozen species belonging to the subphylum Cephalochordata of the phylum Chordata.Small, fishlike marine invertebrates, they probably are the closest living relatives of the vertebrates. Cephalochordates and vertebrates have a hollow, dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal gill slits, and a notochord.In most vertebrates, the embryonic …

National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The phylum Vertebrata: a case for zoological recognition; Palomar College - Classes of Vertebrates; PNAS - Vertebrate innovations; University of Central Florida Pressbooks - General Biology - …

Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, which is part of the phylum Chordata. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The presence of a hollow, jointed backbone is the main feature that distinguishes vertebrates from invertebrates (animals that lack a backbone).

Mar 21, 2025 · A reptile is any member of the class Reptilia, the group of air-breathing vertebrates that have internal fertilization, amniotic development, and epidermal scales covering part or all of their body. The major groups of living reptiles are turtles, tuatara, lizards, snakes, and crocodiles.

Mar 25, 2025 · chordate, any member of the phylum Chordata, which includes the vertebrates (subphylum Vertebrata), the most highly evolved animals, as well as two other subphyla—the tunicates (subphylum Tunicata) and cephalochordates (subphylum Cephalochordata).

Feb 21, 2025 · Bony fish, any member of the superclass Osteichthyes, a group made up of the lobe-finned fishes and the ray-finned fishes of the subphylum Vertebrata, including the great majority of living fishes and virtually all the world’s sport and commercial fishes.

This Encyclopedia Britannica animals list refreshes your knowledge of 5 groups of vertebrates in biology.