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'''Vertebrates''' are defined as [[animal]]s that possess a [[spine|backbone]].<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Biology''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> They are a subphylum of [[chordates]].
'''Vertebrates''' are defined as [[animal]]s that possess a [[spine|backbone]].<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Biology''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref> They are a subphylum of the phylum [[chordata]].
Vertebrates include [[fish]]es, [[reptile]]s, [[amphibian]]s, [[bird]]s, and [[mammal]]s, all having a vertebral column, or a chain of bony elements ([[vertebrae]]) that run along the dorsal surface from head to tail and form the main skeletal axis of the body. The vertebral column surrounds and more or less replaces the [[notochord]] as the chief "stiffener" of the body in locomotion. Some characteristics shared by most or all vertebrates (in addition to those traits shared among all [[Chordata|chordates]]) include the following (after Hickman, 1994):
Vertebrates include [[fish]]es, [[reptile]]s, [[amphibian]]s, [[bird]]s, and [[mammal]]s, all having a vertebral column, or a chain of bony elements ([[vertebrae]]) that run along the dorsal surface from head to tail and form the main skeletal axis of the body. The vertebral column surrounds and more or less replaces the [[notochord]] as the chief "stiffener" of the body in locomotion. Some characteristics shared by most or all vertebrates (in addition to those traits shared among all [[Chordata|chordates]]) include the following (after Hickman, 1994):
*Most vertebrates have two distinct sexes, each with paired [[gonad]]s, although there are some exceptions
*Most vertebrates have two distinct sexes, each with paired [[gonad]]s, although there are some exceptions
*A general body plan consisting of head, trunk, two pairs of appendages, and postanal tail (but these structures are highly modified in many vertebrates and sometimes absent).<ref>Myers, P. 2001. "Vertebrata" [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Vertebrata.html Animal Diversity Web] Accessed June 20, 2007</ref>
*A general body plan consisting of head, trunk, two pairs of appendages, and postanal tail (but these structures are highly modified in many vertebrates and sometimes absent).<ref>Myers, P. 2001. "Vertebrata" [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Vertebrata.html Animal Diversity Web] Accessed June 20, 2007</ref>
Vertebrates are often contrasted with [[invertebrates]], animals which do not have a backbone. Although most animals we tend to interact with in our daily lives are vertebrates, invertebrates are far more common, comprising more than nine phyla of life (while Vertebrata is only a single sub-phylum of the phylum Chordata).
==See also==
==See also==