Written by Do you know the difference between Invertebrates and Vertebrates?
In the animal kingdom many animals have no internal skeleton or even a backbone (spinal column). We call animals without a backbone or skeleton invertebrates. Those that have a skeleton are called vertebrates.
Examples of vertebrates include fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals. Humans are considered to be mammals and we of course have a backbone and skeleton.
Invertebrates have soft bodies. They include worms, jellyfish, and squid. In order to protect them from getting hurt, some have a hard outer shell, like crabs and spiders. They are also cold blooded, which means they don’t need to keep their bodies at a warm temperature to survive.
The biggest class of invertebrates are insects. Did you know that about 97% of all known animal species are invertebrates! Based on numbers, they are by far the most popular and rule the world. There are millions of insect species.
Most vertebrates tend to be larger than invertebrates. However, in the ocean some squids can get up to 46 feet and weigh over 1,000 pounds!
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