Vertebrate basics
This is another name for the backbone that all vertebrates have.
What is the vertebral column?
These structures on a fish are used for propulsion, balance, and movement.
What are fins?
This group of fish has a skeleton made of bone.
What are bony fish?
Amphibians are tetrapods, meaning they have this many limbs.
What are four limbs?
This group of reptiles has no limbs and moves by sliding along the ground; some have venomous glands.
What are Snakes?
This internal skeleton supports the body, protects organs, and works with muscles for movement.
What is an endoskeleton?
This gas-filled sac helps fish control their buoyancy.
What is the swim bladder?
This group of fish has a skeleton made of cartilage, which is lighter and more flexible.
What are cartilaginous fish?
The larval stage of an amphibian, which lives in water and breathes through gills, is called this.
What is a tadpole?
A group of reptiles with a strong body, powerful jaws, and sharp teeth.
What are Crocodilia?
The five main groups of vertebrates are these animals.
What are fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals?
This streamlined body shape helps fish move easily through water.
What is fusiform?
In cartilaginous fish, the mouth is located here, on the underside of the head.
What is ventral position?
A group of amphibians including frogs and toads
What are anurans?
An egg with a hard or leathery shell that protects the embryo and prevents it from drying out, allowing reptiles to reproduce on land
amniotic egg
These are the three main body parts the vertebrate body is organized into.
What are the head, trunk, and limbs?
This special sensory organ helps fish detect vibrations and movements in the water.
What is the lateral line?
This type of caudal fin, found in bony fish, has two equal or symmetrical halves
What is homocercal?
This group of amphibians made up of salamnders and newts
What are urdoles?
A group of reptiles with a hard shell that protects their body and they do not have teeth.
What are Testudines?
Vertebrates have this type of symmetry, meaning their body can be divided into two equal halves.
What is bilateral symmetry?
This hard cover protects the gills in many fish.
What is the operculum?
Cartilaginous fish have these special tooth-like scales that reduce friction in the water.
What are dermal denticles?
This term means breathing through the skin, which amphibians can do.
What is cutaneous respiration?
A special sensory structure in the mouth of reptiles that helps them detect smells and chemicals.
Jacobson's organ