Vertebrate

Vertebrates include the owerwhelmin majority o the phylum Chordata, wi aboot 64,000 species descreivit the nou. Vertebrates include the jawless fish, bane fish, sharks an rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, an birds. Extant vertebrates range in size frae the frog species Paedophryne amauensis, at as wee as 7.7 mm (0.3 inch), tae the blue whaul, at up tae 33 m (110 ft). Vertebrates mak up aboot 4% o aw descreivit ainimal species; the rest is invertebrates, that lack rigbanes.

Vertebrates Temporal range: Cambrian–Present,
Individual organisms frae ilka main vertebrate group. Clockwise, stairtin frae tap left: Fire Salamander, Saltwatter Crocodile, Soothren Cassowary, Black-an-rufous Giant Elephant Shrew, Ocean Sunfish
Scientific classification
Kinrick:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Olfactores
Subphylum:	Vertebrata Cuvier, 1812
Simplified groopin (see text)
Fishes Tetrapods

The vertebrates tradeetionally include the hagfish, that dinnae hae proper vertebrae, tho thair closest livin relatives, the lampreys, dae hae vertebrae. Hagfish dae, houiver, possess a cranium. For this raison, the vertebrate subphylum is whiles referred tae as "Craniata" whan discussin morphologie. Molecular analysis syne 1992 haes suggestit that the hagfish is maist closely relatit tae lampreys, an sae vertebrates is in a monophyletic sense. Ithers consider them a sister group o vertebrates in the common taxon o Craniata.