vertebrates

1. Animals that have a spinal cord enclosed in a backbone.

Notes

Human beings are vertebrates.

The five traditional class es of vertebrates are amphibians , birds , fishes , mammals , and reptiles . ( Compare invertebrates .)

Example Sentences

Given the prevalence of back pain in at least some of their long-suffering descendants, perhaps it’s appropriate that with the first vertebrates on Earth came the first painkillers on Earth.

From Salon

Under Florida law, fossils of vertebrates found on state lands, which include near-shore waters, belong to the state under authority of the Florida Museum of Natural History.

From Seattle Times

Various groups of vertebrates, including fish, frogs, and birds, as well as invertebrates such as spiders and flies and wasps, showcase blue coloration.

From Science Daily

Today, there are more than 300 species of anglerfish, which makes them the most varied family of vertebrates in the ocean’s lightless zone.

From New York Times

"We found that most of the genes that specialize for diapause in killifish are very ancient paralogs, which means that they were duplicated in the common ancestor of all vertebrates."

From Science Daily