- plural of vertebrate.
vertebrates
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Human beings are vertebrates.
The five traditional class es of vertebrates are amphibians, birds, fishes, mammals, and reptiles. (Compare invertebrates.)
Example Sentences
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For decades, the prevailing explanation was that necks evolved to give early tetrapods, the ancestors of four-limbed vertebrates, greater control over their heads as they adapted to life outside the water.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2026
Backbones dominated by this structure are uncommon among living vertebrates, but they were widespread during much of Earth's history.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2026
All vertebrates possess a telencephalon, the forward portion of the brain that accounts for much of the brain's overall size in humans.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Most scientific knowledge about sleep comes from studying vertebrates, particularly mammals and birds.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
We have a genetic predisposition for same old-same old that dates back to the earliest vertebrates.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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