We explain what a vertebrate animal is and how these animals are classified. Also, characteristics and examples of vertebrates.
What are vertebrate animals?
Vertebrate animals are an extremely diverse group of the animal kingdom, made up of almost 62,000 current species and as many extinct species, whose individuals have in common the presence of a spine or vertebral column which divides its body into two bilaterally symmetrical portions.
The vertebrates also have a skull that protects the brain integrated into a bone or cartilaginous skeleton. Their bodies are typically divided into three regions: head, trunk, and tail. The trunk is also divided into thorax and abdomen.
Evolutionarily, vertebrates come from a sweet aquifer environment but throughout the ages they have known how to adapt to most environments on the planet, even the most challenging, thus having a presence in the sea, land and air. The oldest representative of this group is the Haikouichthys fish, which emerged around 530 million years ago, during the Lower Cambrian period, and is now extinct.
The traditional biological classification of vertebrate animals distinguishes between 10 different classes, grouped as follows:
- Agnatha superclass (jawless) Lampreys (class Cephalaspidomorphi-Petromyzontiformes) and hagfish (class Myxini) are found here, as well as numerous species of now extinct jawless fish.
- Superclass gnathostomata (jawed) Here are some extinct primitive fish (class Placodermi), sharks, rays and cartilaginous fish (class Chondrichthyes), the also extinct acanthodians or spiny sharks (class Acanthodii) and fish with skeletons (class Osteichthyes).
- Superclass tetrapoda (with four limbs) In this group are the amphibians (class Amphibia) that alternate between water and land; reptiles (class Reptilia) with scaly skin and cold blood; birds (class Aves) feathered, flying or not; and mammals (class Mammalia), which feed their young with milk.
See also: Classification of animals
Examples of vertebrate animals
Some simple examples of vertebrate animals are:
- Land mammals Like dogs, cats, elephants, lions, giraffes, pumas, hyenas, wolves, camels, sheep, horses, rhinos, etc.
- Primates and apes Like orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, spider monkeys and humans themselves.
- Bony fish. Such as sea bream, cod, sardines, swordfish, catfish, toadfish, tuna, etc.
- cartilaginous fish. Like the shark or the manta ray.
- Aquatic mammals. Like the dolphin, the whale, the seal or the sea lions.
- Birds of all kinds Such as vultures, hawks, toucans, owls, crows, hummingbirds, parrots, macaws (parrots), woodpeckers, kingfishers, pelicans, etc.
- Amphibians. Like toads and frogs, salamanders or newts.
- Reptiles Like snakes, boas, crocodiles, alligators, turtles, lizards, iguanas.
invertebrate animals
Invertebrate animals are those species that do not have a dorsal chord, a vertebral column, or an articulated internal skeleton. About 95% of known living species are invertebrates, between 1.7 and 1.8 million species.
