What kind of animal is a plesiosaur?

Who were the plesiosaurs?

Between the later part of the Triassic and the very end of the Cretaceous, the seas of the world (and some of its rivers, lakes and estuaries as well) were inhabited by the remarkable group of swimming reptiles known as the plesiosaurs.

How many plesiosaurian species have been described?

The first plesiosaurian genus, the eponymous Plesiosaurus, was named in 1821. Since then, more than a hundred valid species have been described. In the early twenty-first century, the number of discoveries has increased, leading to an improved understanding of their anatomy, relationships and way of life.

Which of the following is the least numerous vertebrate?

Least numerous are the vertebrate animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish) which number eighty thousand. Of these, mammals account for the fewest species, totalling just 5,500.

What is the most important feature of vertebrates?

Another important feature is that vertebrates have different sexes. There are approximately 62,000 animal species that belong to this group, so we have a wide range to choose examples on our list. One of the important ways to differentiate between vertebrates and invertebrates are their skeletons.

What are the three categories of vertebrates?

The domain (i.e. the largest category) of all living things, including vertebrate and invertebrate animals, is split into three categories: Archea, Bacteria and Eukarya. Eukarya is the one which contains all multicellular organisms, including animals.

How can we make the distinction between vertebrate and invertebrate animals?

Roughly, we can make the distinction by grouping vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Keep reading this AnimalWised article to discover the characteristics of both groups, and the animals that belong to each one. What are vertebrate animals? What are invertebrate animals? How are animals classified? What are vertebrate animals?

What is the most numerous and diverse group of vertebrates?

Bony fishes are not only the most numerous and diverse group of fishes, they are also the largest group of vertebrates. Amphibians are the descendants of a. ray-finned fishes.

What are the main features of reptiles?

Features. 1. Reptiles are the creeping and burrowing cold blooded vertebrates bearing epidermal scales. They are ectothermic (cold-blooded) and are found mostly in the warmer parts of the world. They are few in colder parts. They are mostly terrestrial animals.

What are the distinguishing features of the five major vertebrates?

An overview of the distinguishing features of the five major vertebrate groups. Name Example Key Features Mammal Polar Bear Hair/Fur, Produce Milk Bird Ostrich Feathers, beaks Reptile Alligator Dry scales, leathery eggs Amphibian Axolotl Moist, permeable skin, soft eggs 1 more rows

What are the 5 types of vertebrates?

The five most well known classes of vertebrates (animals with backbones) are mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians. Subsequently, question is, what are the 3 types of fish?

What are vertebrates and how are they classified?

Vertebrates are the broad group of animals which are classified by the possession of a backbone or spinal column involving mammals, birds, fishes, reptiles, and amphibians and the list of these animals have lots more.

What are the 7 classes of vertebrates?

Classification of Vertebrates 1 Mammals (Class Mammalia) 2 Birds (Class Aves) 3 Reptiles (Class Reptilia) 4 Amphibians (Class Amphibia) 5 Bony fishes (Class Osteichthyes) 6 Cartilaginous fishes (Class Chondrichthyes) 7 Jawless fishes (Class Agnatha) More

What is the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates Class 3?

3. Briefly explain the characteristics of vertebrates. Vertebrates are more complex organisms when compared to invertebrates. The primary difference between the two is that vertebrates possess a backbone and an internal skeleton. In some vertebrates, the bones are replaced with cartilage, as seen in sharks.

What percentage of animals are vertebrates?

5 % of animal species are vertebrates. Flatworms, arthropods, sponges, insects are a few examples of Invertebrates. Mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds are examples of Vertebrates. Invertebrates can be simply identified as animals that do not have a backbone.

What is the difference between invertebrate and vertebrate?

In the animal kingdom, animals have been categorized into two main groups invertebrate and vertebrate. This differentiation is mainly based on the presence and absence of the backbone (spinal column). Apart from this, there are much more differences between these two animal groups.

Do invertebrates have a backbone?

Invertebrates do not possess a backbone and they can exist anywhere on the surface of the earth. Animals like birds, snakes, and human beings are vertebrates. The derivation of the term vertebrate takes from the bones that create the spine.

Which of the following is the most diverse vertebrate group?

Fishes are the most diverse vertebrates group of all the vertebrates groups of animals which include amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and fishes. Fishes are the most diverse group. There are more than 33,000 species of fishes which is more than the combine total of all other vertebrate groups.

What is the most diverse group of fish?

The reason why fishes hold the title of being the most diverse group is that there are over 33,000 species of fishes. This number is more than all the other vertebrate group species combined. When it comes to the most diverse group of fishes that there are, bony fishes will hold that title.

What is the most characteristic feature of the recent reptiles?

The most characteristic feature of the recent reptiles is their dry, slimeless body. Reptiles are vertebrate animals of prehistoric origin that have inhabited the planet for 350 million years. They live on the land surface and in some aquatic ecosystems. They are the evolutionary descendants of dinosaurs.

What are the characteristics of a reptile egg?

The ability to lay hard-shelled or leathery-shelled eggs. The shell of eggs provides a protective enclosure for the embryo to develop within, so reptiles can lay their eggs in a dry environment. Amphibians, on the other hand, require a damp environment to lay their very soft jelly-like eggs.