Vertebrate Classification

Vertebrates can be subdivided into five major groups: fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and
mammals. Amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are ranked as classes. The fishes includes five
different classes: Myxini, Hyperoartia, Chondrichthyes, Actinopterygii, and Sarcopterygii. In
addition to the existing classes, there are a number of extinct classes of vertebrates that provide
important information regarding vertebrate evolution, which we will examine in the next section.
Fishes
Fishes constitute the non-tetrapod vertebrates, meaning that they do not have four legs or limbs,
although they generally have two pairs of fins and several unpaired fins that allow them to move
efficiently through water. They are almost all entirely aquatic, although there are a few species that
can survive out of the water for short periods of time. There are approximately 28,000 fish species
subdivided into five different classes.
The fishes include species that are common human food sources such as salmon, trout, bass,
and even sharks and rays. Their habitats cover all aquatic regions on Earth including oceans, rivers,
lakes, and other freshwater sources. Most fishes use gills to obtain oxygen from
their aquatic environments and have scales covering their bodies. Although the majority of fish
species are jawed fish, hagfish of the class Myxini and lampreys of the class Hyperoartia are jawless.
The classes of Myxini, Hyperoartia, and Chondrichthyes all possess endoskeletons that consist of
cartilage. Fishes in the classes Actinopterygii, and Sarcopterygii are considered the “bony fishes”
because they have endoskeletons consisting primarily of bone. We will examine the fish classes in
much more detail in the next lesson.
AMPHIBIANS
Amphibians are cold-blooded (ectothermic) vertebrate tetrapods that generally respire air as adults
but usually require an aquatic (freshwater) environment for reproduction. The term tetrapod, as
mentioned earlier, refers to four-legged/limbed animals that generally have two pairs of limbs: one
pair on the anterior, or front, end of the animal and one pair on the posterior, or tail, end of the
animal. Other vertebrate tetrapods include reptiles, birds, and mammals. There are roughly 6,000
existing amphibian species. They include frogs, toads, and salamanders.
Almost all amphibian species produce eggs that cannot survive outside of water, and this is
the reason for their reproductive dependence on an aquatic environment. Amphibians usually
undergo indirect developmentvia aquatic larval forms called tadpoles or polliwogs that respire using
gills. During metamorphosis, the larvae develop limbs and replace their gills with lungs to become
semi-terrestrial adult animals.
REPTILES

Reptiles are also cold-blooded (ectothermic) vertebrate tetrapods, but they differ from amphibians in
a number of important ways. Unlike amphibians, reptiles are amniotes that are not dependent
on water in order to reproduce. Amniotes lay eggs that are surrounded by an extensive amniotic
membrane to facilitate gas exchange and waste processing in a terrestrial environment.
A solid eggshell surrounds the membrane-enclosed embryos and provides protection to the
developing organism. Another difference between reptiles and amphibians is that reptiles generally
undergo direct development that does not include an aquatic larval stage. All reptiles use lungs to
breath, although there are some species that are also able to absorb oxygen through their skin.

All of these evolutionary developments have allowed reptiles to live an exclusively terrestrial
existence. Despite these adaptations, there are some species that spend most of their lives in water
such as aquatic turtles. In these species, the limbs have been modified to have a more fin-like
structure for swimming.
There are approximately 8,000 species of reptiles living today that occupy all continents on
Earth except Antarctica. These species include lizards, snakes, and turtles. There are some species of
reptiles, such as snakes, that have lost their limbs during the course of evolution. However, they are
still considered tetrapods because they evolved from a tetrapod ancestor.
BIRDS

Birds are warm-blooded (endothermic), egg-laying vertebrate tetrapods. They are characterized by
the presence of feathers and wings. Almost all birds are capable of flight. The few species that are
not, such as ostriches and penguins, evolved from flying ancestor species but lost the capability over
the course of their evolution. There are approximately 10,000 existing species of birds that live in
nearly all habitats on Earth. This is the largest number of species of any of the tetrapod classes.
Because birds are endothermic, they are not dependent on environmental temperatures to maintain
both their internal body temperature and activity levels; their ectothermal tetrapod counterparts, the
reptiles and amphibians, are dependent on the environmental temperatures. This probably explains
birds' vast range over the planet, including both extremely cold and extremely warm regions such as
the North and South poles as well as desert climates.
MAMMALS

Mammals are warm-blooded (endothermic) vertebrates that differ in many ways from members of
other vertebrate classes. Mammals have hair on their skin, three bones in the middle ear, a four-
chambered heart, and a region of the brain called a neocortex that is involved in higher neurological
functions such as spatial reasoning, conscious thought, and, in some species (ours), language. There
are roughly 5,400 species of mammals including our species, Homo sapiens.

Mammals derive their name from the fact that they produce milk to feed their young
using mammary glands. Nearly all mammals are viviparous and give birth to live young, although
there is one group, the monotremes, that lays eggs, which undergo external development.

SUMMARY

 Vertebrates can be subdivided into five major groups: fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and
mammals.

 Fishes are almost all entirely aquatic, although there are a few species that can survive out of
water for short periods of time.

 Amphibians are ectothermic tetrapod vertebrate that generally respire air as adults but usually
require an aquatic (freshwater) environment for reproduction.

 Reptiles are amniotes that are not dependent on water in order to reproduce.

 Birds are endothermic, egg-laying tetrapod vertebrates. They are characterized by the
presence of feathers and wings.

 Mammals have hair on their skin, three bones in the middle ear, a four-chambered heart, and
a region of the brain called a neocortex.

Geological Distribution: Durational Distribution Geologist divided earth‟s past history

into number of major divisions called Eras Eras : Name of duration of time that indicate the
degree of evolutionary advancement of life

Archeozoic and Proterozoic Era •Called as eras of age of unicellular life . •Animals having
low organization. •Also called as „Age of Primitive Marine Invertebrates‟ •Ex- Sponges,
Marine Algae

Paleozoic Era (Age of Fishes) Cambrian Period: Vertebrates like fishes evolved from
invertebrates. Ordovician Period: Cephalopods, Tribolites , and fishes evolved. Silurian and
Devonian Period: Scorpion, Amphibian and terrestrial vertebrates evolved. Mississippian,
Pennsylvanian, Permian Period : Shark were dominant fishes during Mississippian period.
Insects, Snails & Amphibians were evolved
Mesozoic Era (Age of Reptiles) Triassic and Jurassic Period •Fishes, Amphibians, reptiles,
bird and mammals were evolved, but reptiles were more dominant . •Flying reptile and
reptile like birds were recorded in this period. Cretaceous Period • Rise of flowering plants.
•Mammals were numerous, but small . •Birds were modern with teeth

Cenozoic Era (Age of mammals) Paleocene Epoch Dinosaurs were apparently extinct and
had been replaced by mammals. Eocene Epoch: Warm blooded mammals evolved.
Oligocene, Miocene and Pliocene Epoch •Glacial age •Evolution of mammals, first man like
apes. •Placental mammals diversified. •Formation of new land bridges •Many migrations
occurred all over the world. Pleistocence and Psychozoic Epoch (Age of Man) Some animals
evolved in warmer interglacial areas . Age of man began with the greater perfection of man‟s
mentality

Evolution of Vertebrates:

Origin of vertebrates took place in Ordovician period in the form of ostracoderms (jawless
vertebrates related to cyclostomes). In fact ostracoderms were small, jawless bony fish-like
forms. After the origin of ostracoderms acanthodians (the earliest known vertebrates with
lower jaws) appeared in Silurian. Placoderms (the ancient gnathostomes- jawed vertebrates)
arose in Silurian.

Placoderms were in fact jawed fishes. Origin of amphibians occurred in Devonian. Reptiles
appeared in Carboniferous. Origin of dinosaurs and mammals took place in Triassic. Toothed
birds (first birds) appeared in Jurassic. Thus origin of fishes took place first, with amphibians
next, followed by reptiles, then mammals and birds.