The vertebrae are separated by cartilaginous intervertebral disks. A vertebra is one of 33 bony segments that form the spinal column of humans. Vertebra. The vertebrae support the body and provide the protective bony corridor (the spinal or vertebral canal) through which the spinal cord passes. Vertebra are divided into cervical, thoracic, and lumbar sections, and the sacrum and coccyx are both made up of a series of fused vertebrae. Vertebra definition, any of the bones or segments composing the spinal column, consisting typically of a cylindrical body and an arch with various processes, and forming a foramen, or opening, through which the spinal cord passes. They are the largest of the unfused vertebrae, and are larger than the bones located above. Vertebrate Biology. There are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral (fused into one sacrum bone) and 4 coccygeal (fused into one coccyx bone). Fishes , amphibians , reptiles , birds , and mammals , including humans, are all vertebrates. Definition. The 33 bones that make up the spine differ considerably in size and structure according to location. vertebra [ver´tĕ-brah] (L.) any of the separate segments comprising the spine (vertebral column). Level. Vertebrates Meaning “Vertebrates are animals that possess a vertebral column and/or notochord at any point in their lives.” One of the ways life is classified is through the presence or absence of the vertebrate. Meaning of vertebrate. Vertebra definition is - one of the bony or cartilaginous segments composing the spinal column, consisting in some lower vertebrates of several distinct elements which never become united, and in higher vertebrates having a short more or less cylindrical body whose ends articulate by pads of elastic or cartilaginous tissue with those of adjacent vertebrae and a bony arch that … They have backbones and are also characterized by a muscular system consisting primarily of bilaterally paired masses and a central nervous system partly enclosed within the backbone. Biology. Information and translations of vertebrate in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The basic configuration of a vertebra varies; the large part is the body, and the central part is the centrum. The vertebral column, also called the spine, is a series of bones known as vertebrae that are separated by intervertebral discs.The vertebral column is only found in vertebrates, or members of the subphylum Vertebrata, which is part of the phylum Chordata.. Vertebral Column Overview 12/08/2008. Birds: Term. n/a. Definition. (An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone.) These bones are below the cervical and thoracic vertebrae but above the sacrum or pelvis. Mammals first appeared in the fossil record during_____ period. Lumbar Vertebrae Definition. Definition of vertebrate in the Definitions.net dictionary. Medical Definition of Vertebra. 79. What does vertebrate mean? Vertebrate, any animal of the subphylum Vertebrata. See more. Vertebrae are the 33 individual, interlocking bones that form the spinal column. Its members include fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Each vertebra has three main functional components: the vertebral body for load-bearing, the vertebral arch to protect the spinal cord, and transverse processes for ligament attachment.The spinal column consists of seven cervical, twelve thoracic, and five lumbar vertebrae in addition to five fused vertebrae … Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR; Vertebra: A vertebra is one of 33 bony segments that form the spinal column of humans. Vertebral Column Definition. Vertebrates and invertebrates evolved from a common ancestor that was speculated to have lived around 600 million years ago. Description. Undergraduate 1. A vertebrate is an animal with a backbone. Subject. ... in terms of diversity in the number of species: Definition. Triassic: Term. Total Cards. 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