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# vertebrate

noun (a vertebrate, vertebrates); adjective (vertebrate)

«vertebrate» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

An animal that has a backbone (a spine), like fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebrate/#m1)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on classifying animals, pupils sort animals into vertebrates (with a backbone) and invertebrates (without one). The five main groups of vertebrates are fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Humans are vertebrates. Phrases: vertebrate animals, vertebrates and invertebrates.

### Examples

- A dog is a vertebrate because it has a backbone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebrate/#x1)
- Fish, birds and frogs are all vertebrates. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebrate/#x2)
- Humans are vertebrates. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebrate/#x3)
- A snail is not a vertebrate. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebrate/#x4)
- Sort these animals into vertebrates and invertebrates. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebrate/#x5)
- Snakes are vertebrates with lots of bones in their spine. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebrate/#x6)

### Note

Countable: a vertebrate, vertebrates. The bones of the backbone are called "vertebrae". The opposite is "invertebrate" (no backbone), like insects, worms, spiders and jellyfish. Fact: most animal species on Earth are invertebrates, not vertebrates.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «vertebrate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/vertebrate/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«vertebrate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/vertebrate.html) on Mova free.