||Ver`te*bra"ta (?), n.
pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) One of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom, comprising all animals
that have a
backbone composed of bony or cartilaginous vertebræ, together with Amphioxus in which the
backbone is represented by a simple undivided notochord. The Vertebrata always have a
dorsal, or neural, cavity above the notochord or backbone, and a ventral, or
visceral, cavity below it. The
subdivisions or classes of Vertebrata are Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Amphibia, Pisces, Marsipobranchia, and Leptocardia.
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