Difference between vertebrate and invertebrate animals

The Vertebrate animals They are those animals that have a bony or cartilaginous skull and spinal column; the Invertebrate animals they are characterized by not having bone structures.

The Animalia kingdom generally presents these two large groups, which are internally very varied. Invertebrate animals represent the majority of animals on planet Earth. Know the differences between vertebrate and invertebrate animals, their characteristics and examples of animals in each group.

Animals Vertebrates	Animals Invertebrates
Taxonomy	Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata	Subphylum Invertebrata
Definition	Animals with bones	Boneless animals
Reproduction	Sexual	Asexual: Parthenogenesis Gemmation Fragmentation Sexual
Subdivisions	Cyclostomata Fishes Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals	Porifera: sponges Cnidaria: jellyfish Platyhelminthes: flatworms Nematodes Crustaceans Echinoderms: starfish Mollusks: snails, octopuses. Hexapoda: insects.
Symmetry	Bilateral	Radial: corals, jellyfish. Asymmetric: sponges.
Number of known species	69 963 species	More than 1 million.
Digestive system	Full	Diffusion Intracellular digestion Incomplete digestive system
Gas exchange	Lungs Gills	Gas diffusion
Circulation	Heart with chambers arteries and veins Closed circulation	Open circulation
Examples	Lamprey Stingray Fishes Salamanders Frogs Alligator Snake Turtles Birds Dolphins	Sea sponges Sea anemones Worms Leeches Snails Bees Sea stars Tunicates Octopus Spiders

What are vertebrate animals?

Vertebrate animals are eukaryotic multicellular organisms belonging to the kingdom Animalia who have a "spine". The spinal column comes from the notochord and protects the nerve cord.

They are heterotrophsThey obtain energy from their food, which can be plants (herbivores) or other animals (carnivores).

The name "vertebrate" derives from Latin vertebra (joint) and this one from Latin I'll see you, which means to fold; so the meaning of vertebrates It is that animal that has articulated vertebrae.

Characteristics of vertebrate animals

• They belong to the cutting edge Chordata, sub-phylum Vertebrata.
• Possess skull, either made up of cartilage (eels, witch fish, and other fish), bone, or both.
• They present a skeleton, whose central element is the spine, formed by vertebrae.
• They generally have two pairs of extremities (tetrapods: four legs).
• Variable size: can range from the tiny frog Eleutherodactylus iberia with just 9.8mm up to the huge blue whale Balaenoptera musculus, with 30 m.
• They live in various regions of the earthSome are aquatic like fish, others are terrestrial like lions, some live in deserts, like snakes, and others inhabit frozen regions like penguins and polar bears.
• Some vertebrates keep their body temperature (homeotherms), such as birds and mammals, while poikilotherms, such as lizards, can vary their temperature.
• Present varied shapesMost of the fish are spindle-shaped, which allows them to move with minimal resistance through the water; others are flattened in shape, like reptiles.
• They can be moved by different means: air locomotion (birds and bats), land locomotion (horses and elephants) aquatic locomotion (sharks and rays).
• They have skin with two layers, the dermis and the epidermis, with a mainly protective function of the external environment.
• Present skin adaptations like feathers, hair and scales.
• The Cardiovascular system of vertebrates consists of the heart, veins, arteries, and blood.
• The breathing It is carried out by the exchange of oxygen from the air or water towards the blood and the elimination of carbon dioxide towards the outside.
• They have a nervous and endocrine system that controls and regulates bodily functions.
• All vertebrates possess sense of smell and hearing that allows you to find food, detect danger and find a mate.
• Most vertebrates possess eyes, although for animals that live in caves or depths it is not functional.
• The reproduction is sexual, and depends on various factors, such as the environmental temperature, the fertilization method and the development stage of the animal. Most species of vertebrates have individuals with separate sexes, only some angulias and fish are hermaphrodites, that is, an individual has both female and male organs.
• The fertilization it can be external (outside the female body, as in amphibians) or internal (within the female body, as in mammals and birds).
• The play mode It can be oviparous (they produce eggs) or viviparous.

Examples of vertebrate animals

1. Cyclostoma: jawless fish

Lampreys belong to the Petromyzontidae clade with approximately 35-40 species. They are known as jawless fish, with a funnel-shaped mouth with teeth.

2. Cartilaginous fish: sharks and manta rays

Sharks and manta rays belong to the Chondrichthyes clade, which are characterized by having a cartilage skeleton and living in marine habitats. For their part, manta rays stand out for having a flattened body, with gills on their ventral or lower surface.

3. Teleost fish: fish with bones

Teleost fish are characterized by having a bone skeleton, with a backbone and a skull. Approximately 30,000 species have been described, the largest variety of known vertebrates. The skin of most of these fish has scales. Gas exchange takes place through the gills.

4. Urodela: salamanders

Salamanders are amphibians that belong to the Urodela order, live in aquatic or terrestrial environments and are characterized by having a tail and four legs.

5. Anura: toads and frogs

Frogs are amphibians that belong to the order Anura. Many species of frogs and toads produce chemicals in their skin glands to defend themselves against predators. Fertilization is external and they undergo metamorphosis in their life cycle.

6. Crocodilia: lizards and crocodiles

Clade Crocodilia belongs to the class ReptiliaFour-part vertebrate animals whose eggs have an additional membrane, which allowed them to be laid on the ground. Crocodiles are large reptiles, with flattened snouts and tails compressed on the sides, with eyes and nostrils on the top of the head.

7. Ophidians: snakes

Snakes belong to the Squamata clade of the Reptilia class and are characterized by having elongated bodies without limbs, carnivores, they can be poisonous, with a fairly flexible skull. The venom of the snake Bothrops jararaca It is used for medicinal purposes.

8. Testudines: turtles

Turtles are members of the clade Testudines, which means "to have a shell." The shell can be cartilage or bone. Like the other reptiles, they are ectotherms, their source of body heat is external. They lay eggs on land but live in aquatic environments.

9. Feathered Vertebrates: Birds

Birds are vertebrate animals that are characterized by having feathers, which serve as thermal insulation and an aerodynamic surface for flight. They lay eggs and are endothermic, that is, they regulate their internal body temperature.

10. Aquatic mammals: dolphins

Mammals (class Mammalia) are vertebrate animals characterized in that their offspring grow in the embryonic and fetal phase within the mother's body, and are then suckled with milk. Its body is covered in hair (except for dolphins and whales). They are endothermic like birds.

You may be interested in seeing the biology areas.

Also know the difference between viviparous, oviparous and ovoviviparous animals.

What are invertebrate animals?

Invertebrate animals are all those multicellular organisms that belong to the Animalia kingdom that do not have a backbone. They do not photosynthesize, so they depend on other organisms (plants and animals) for energy.

Characteristics of invertebrate animals

• They are a group of immense diversity.
• They can be fed by filtration of microparticles (such as sponges), by mastication of macroparticles (such as cephalopods) or through fluids (such as endoparasites).
• The digestion is intracellular in most invertebrates, such as poriferas, cnidarias and flatworms.
• The digestive system it can be as primitive as it is more specialized.
• The circulatory system it can be open, with a large blood reservoir (as in arthropods and mollusks) and a closed system, with arteries and veins, as in worms. Circulation can be by diffusion.
• They are ectothermic, that is, its heat source is external.
• Some invertebrates possess a exoskeleton, a rigid cover that limits growth, as in insects.
• Reproduction can be asexual, as in hydras, or sexual as in nematodes and insects.
• The fertilization it is mainly external in echinoderms, bivalves and polychaetes, while in flatworms and mollusks there is internal fertilization.
• The hermaphroditism it is a widely distributed character among invertebrates, such as flatworms, sponges, oligochaetes, and annelids.
• You have different ways of locomotion: aquatic (mollusks), aerial (insects) or terrestrial (worms). The exception is the poriferous in adult stage, they remain immobile in their anchorage site.

You may be interested in seeing the Classification of living things.

Examples of 10 invertebrate animals

1. Simple invertebrate animals: sea sponges

Marine sponges belong to the phylum Porifera and they are the simplest aquatic invertebrate animals. Your body is made up of pores that act like filters. Aplisinia fistularis (yellow sponge), Niphates digitalis (purple sponge), Spiratrela coccinea (red sponge) and Callyspongia sp. (gray sponge) are examples of marine invertebrate biodiversity.

2. Marine invertebrate animals: sea anemones

Sea anemones belong to the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They are characterized by being cylindrical and brightly colored. Anemones live attached to a substrate on the seabed.

3. Flatworms: flatworms

The phylum Platyhelminthes They present a flattened body and bilateral symmetry. Within this group are human parasites Taenia saginata Y Schistosoma mansoni.

4. Medicinal invertebrate animals: leeches

The phylum Annelida It is characterized by presenting the body in segments. Leeches belong to the class Hirudinae, and are characterized by having sucking organs on their posterior and anterior exteriors. Leeches Hirudo medicinalis they were used since ancient times for medicinal purposes.

5. Gastropods: snails

A large number of animals are grouped in the phylum Mollusca, including the gastropod class that includes snails. A distinctive feature is that these animals carry a shell. Some cultures appreciate snails in their gastronomy.

6. Insects: flying invertebrates

The phylum Arthropoda is one of the most numerous groups of invertebrates, representing 85% of the animals on Earth. Its name means "jointed feet" and here are the insects, crustaceans, spiders and scorpions.

The insects are concentrated in the subphylum Hexapoda, which is characterized by having a head with sensory antennae, a pair of compound eyes, a thorax with three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings membranous.

7. Echinoderms: starfish

The phylum Echinodermata with pentaradial symmetry and a calcareous endoskeleton, with characteristic spines on the surface. Starfish are invertebrate creatures that live in the sea.

8. Urochordata: the tunicates

Within the phylum Chordata, where the subphylum Vertebrata is found, there are two subphyla of invertebrate animals: Urochordata and Cephalochordata. The members of Urochordata are known as tunicates, which are characterized by having a larval stage with notochord and nerve cord, which disappear in the adult stage.

9. Cephalopods: octopuses

The class of cephalopods belongs to mollusks, they have a well-developed nervous system, The means of locomotion in water is through the tentacles, which have suckers. They reproduce sexually and defend themselves by throwing dark ink to confuse their predator. The octopus is considered a highly intelligent invertebrate animal.

10. Arachnid arthropods: spiders

Arachnids are a group of arthropods that include spiders, ticks, and scorpions. Spiders are characterized by building a network where their victims are prey. They have two segments: the cephalothorax and the abdomen, and four pairs of legs emerging from the first segment.

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