NextPrevious

Aquatic and Land Animal Diversity

Animals in General

What is the difference between an invertebrate and a vertebrate?

Invertebrates are animals that lack a backbone. In fact, almost all animals (99 percent) are invertebrates—biologists believe millions more may be yet undiscovered. Vertebrates are animals with backbones (vertebral column); with more than one million identified animals on the planet, vertebrates represent only 42,500—around 25 percent—of those animals.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Biology Answer Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App