Vertebrate animals are one of the animal phyla that play an important role in human life, whether as food or entertainment. Below on the teketrek website we talk more about them, their common characteristics and the most prominent types.
definition of vertebrate animals
Vertebrates are a phylum of animals brought together by the characteristic of having a spine surrounded by a muscular system consisting of paired masses and a central nervous system. In addition, it shares a set of other characteristics that we will discuss in the following paragraph.
What are the characteristics of vertebrates?
The spine is the most obvious feature of vertebrates, but it was not present in the first vertebrates. They only had a notochord.
- It has a head with a distinct tubular brain and three sensory pairs: the nose, sight, and ear.
- The body consists of several regions: the trunk and the tail.
- Segmented masses of muscle surround the notochord, which in turn is surrounded by connective tissue around the spinal cord.
- There is a sensory ganglion on the dorsal root of the spinal nerve, and there are several independent segmental ganglia located at the bottom of the notochord.
- The trunk region is filled with a large cavity and contained viscera, which extends anteriorly to the visceral arches.
- The digestive system in vertebrate animals consists of a pharynx, esophagus, stomach, and intestines, ending with the anus.
- Vertebrates maintain the basic pattern of closed blood vessels that is unified across all living forms.
- The kidneys are located behind the peritoneum, where they maintain blood and excretion.
- In addition, the reproductive organs are composed of tissue located next to the kidneys.
- The ducts of the excretory organs open through the body wall into the cloacal chamber, as in the anus.
- Moreover, vertebrates are cold-blooded.
- Land animals that live on land but lay their eggs in water.
- Vertebrates also have legs and a tail.
- Also, its body is covered with thin and smooth skin.
- In addition, the vertebrate heart has three chambers.
It is worth noting that vertebrates constitute about 45,000 species of living organisms.
Distribution of vertebrates
Vertebrates are distributed throughout the Earth, whether in the High Arctic, Antarctica, or even the tropics, except within Antarctica, Greenland, and the Arctic ice mass.
They adapt to live in various types of environments, whether underground, on the surface, or even in the air.
In addition, it adapts to various types of food, whether plants or animals, whether vertebrate or invertebrate.
Classification of vertebrates
Vertebrates are diverse in animal classifications, falling into several categories, namely:
- Mammals: for example bats, cats, whales, dogs and elephants, camel.
- Reptiles: e.g. lizards, snakes, crocodiles and turtles.
- Fish: various types, for example blue, shark, tuna, etc.
- Amphibians: including frogs and lizards.
It is worth noting that vertebrates of all kinds play an important role in human life, whether in terms of food, as they feed on fish, some mammals, and birds, or entertainment, as they may acquire some forms of birds, reptiles, and fish for the purpose of decoration.
FAQ questions
Among the most common questions about vertebrate animals are:
- How do vertebrates reproduce?
Vertebrates reproduce sexually, some by eggs, as in fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, and others by birth, as in mammals.
- What was the first vertebrate to appear?
Armored fish are considered the oldest species of vertebrates, having appeared in the Ordovician era 500 million years ago.
- Do all vertebrates have lungs?
Yes, most vertebrates have lungs next to the spine on either end of the heart.
- What is the last vertebrate to appear?
The coccyx is the last part of the spine to develop in mammals.
How many types of vertebrates?
Vertebrate animals are mainly divided into five types: mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles.
- Do rabbits have a backbone?
Yes, the rabbit is a vertebrate animal whose spine consists of seven cervical vertebrae, and thoracic vertebrae whose number ranges between (12-13), while the number of lumbar vertebrae ranges between (3-4) and the caudal vertebrae (15-16).
- Is a cockroach a vertebrate?
The cockroach belongs to the insects, it is a vertebrate animal.
- Is a frog a vertebrate animal?
The frog is a member of the amphibian family and is a vertebrate animal.
- Is a turtle a vertebrate animal?
The turtle is considered a type of reptile, as it belongs to the phylum of vertebrates.
- Does the snake have a backbone or not?
Yes, the snake is a vertebrate animal, with a backbone whose vertebrae do not range between 200 and 400 vertebrae.
- Is a butterfly a vertebrate animal?
Yes, the butterfly belongs to the vertebrate phylum, because it is an insect.
- Are fish vertebrates?
Yes, fish are from the vertebrate phylum.
- Does a fly have a backbone?
The fly belongs to the insect family and is therefore a vertebrate.
- Do scorpions have a backbone?
Scorpions belong to the phylum of invertebrate animals.
- Does spider have a backbone?
The spider does not have a backbone.
- Are birds vertebrate animals?
Yes, birds belong to the vertebrate family.
What are the 5 examples of vertebrates?
Fish, bird, amphibians, reptiles, mammals.
How do you identify vertebrates?
It has a spine surrounded by a muscular system consisting of paired masses and a central nervous system.
Is A fish A vertebrate?
Yes, fish is vertebrate.
Is A Bird A vertebrate?
Yes, birds are vertebrate.
In short, vertebrate animals are animals characterized by the presence of a backbone that have adapted to living in various environments and eating various foods. Generally, they fall under the phyla: mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles.
