Aquatic and Land Animal DiversityAnimals 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.