Vertebrates belong to the chordates, a phylum characterised by five synapomorphies (unique characteristics), namely a
Vertebrates … See more

Vertebrates originated during the Cambrian explosion at the start of the Paleozoic, which saw a rise in animal diversity. The earliest known vertebrates belong to the Chengjiang biota and lived about 518 million years ago. … See more

In 1811, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck defined the vertebrates as a taxonomic group, a phylum distinct from the invertebrates he was studying. He described them as consisting of four classes, namely fish, reptiles, birds, and mamm… See more

Described and extant vertebrate species are split roughly evenly but non-phylogenetically between non-tetrapod "fish" and tetrapods. The following table lists the number of described extant species for each ve… See more

• Marine vertebrate – Marine animals with a vertebrate column
• Taxonomy of the vertebrates (Young, 1962) – Classification of spine-possessing animals according to some authorities… See more

• Kardong, Kenneth V. (1998). Vertebrates: Comparative Anatomy, Function, Evolution (second ed.). USA: McGraw-Hill. pp. 747 pp. ISBN 978-0-697-28654-3.
• "Vertebrata". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved … See more