Vertebrates are animals that have backbones and are characterized by a muscular system. The major groups of vertebrates are fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. For classification purposes, vertebrates are divided into four major groups: jawless fishes, cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes, and tetrapods.

1. - By zoomania

2. • Vertebrate,
• also called Craniata, any animal of the subphylum
Vertebrata.
• The predominant subphylum of the
phylum Chordata.
• They have backbones, from which they derive their
name.
• The vertebrates are also characterized by a
muscular system.

3. The major groups of
vertebrates include
fishes, amphibians,
reptiles, birds, and
mammals.
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4. • The body divided into trunk and tail region.
• High metabolic rate due to pharyngial gills slits and gills.
• Celom is present in trunk region.
• A distinct anteroventral to liver.
• Closed circulatory vessels consist.

5. • Aproxmately 45000 living species
constitute the vertebrate.
Vertebrate faunas are important to human
for food and recreation

6. Origin of vertebrate
In order to give a broad and comparative view of
theis life histories the vertebrates are subdivided into major
groups based on morphology,
I. The cyclostomes (jawless fishes),
II. the chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fishes),
III. the teleostomes (bony fishes),
IV. and the tetrapods.

7. The cyclostomes
Observe the
hagfish's horny
teeth and
scaleless exterior
covering a
cartilaginous
skeletonHagfishes
are primitive,
jawless fish.

8. Chondrichthyes Teleostoem
Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas).
Cartilaginous fish
American paddlefish (Polyodon
spathula)American paddlefish (Polyodon
spathula) is the only living member of family
Polyodontidae.