
Vertebrate | Definition, Characteristics, Examples, Classification ...
Oct 28, 2025 · 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 …
Anatomy of a vertebrate | Britannica
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.
Vertebrate - Evolution, Paleontology, Anatomy | Britannica
Oct 28, 2025 · The ancestral vertebrate (protovertebrate) has been sought for more than 100 years, and the likelihood of finding it today is not much greater than in the past.
vertebrate - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
A vertebrate is an animal with a backbone. (An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone.) Fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, including humans, are all…
vertebrate - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
This helps the fetus reach a more developed stage before birth (see “Vertebrate Embryogeny” in embryology). Placental mammals are the most diverse and widespread of the mammals. There are …
5 Vertebrate Groups | Britannica
The body is divided into trunk and tail regions. Several groups of vertebrates inhabit planet Earth. Let’s take a tour of the five main vertebrate groups alive today: the fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and …
Circulatory system - Heart, Blood Vessels, Oxygen | Britannica
Oct 27, 2025 · All vertebrates have circulatory systems based on a common plan, and so vertebrate systems show much less variety than do those of invertebrates. Although it is impossible to trace the …
Skeleton - Bones, Joints, Muscles | Britannica
Oct 5, 2025 · Muscles can be inserted on all surfaces of the skeleton, in contrast to the limitations of the cuticular skeleton of arthropods, in which muscles occur on only one side. Antagonistic muscles are …
Vertebrate Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
vertebrate (noun) vertebrate / ˈ vɚtəbrət/ noun plural vertebrates Britannica Dictionary definition of VERTEBRATE [count] biology : an animal that has a backbone — compare invertebrate
Vertebrate - Tetrapods, Anatomy, Adaptations | Britannica
Oct 28, 2025 · Vertebrate - Tetrapods, Anatomy, Adaptations: Tetrapods live primarily on land and are similar in habit. Members include amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.