What is a vertebrate?

In a nutshell

Vertebrates are animals with a backbone. They can be further divided into five groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and amphibians.

	Key characteristics	Examples
Mammals	Body hair or fur, breathe through lungs, a steady body temperature and babies that are born live and drink milk.	Fox, human and lion.
Birds	Feathers, breathe through lungs, a steady body temperature and lay eggs.	Chicken, falcon and penguin.
Reptiles	Dry scales, breathe through lungs, body temperature changes and lay eggs.	Crocodile, snake and tortoise.
Fish	Scales, breathe through gills, body temperature changes and lay soft eggs in water.	Goldfish, salmon and shark.
Amphibians	Damp skin, breathe through gills and then lungs, body temperature changes and lay soft eggs in water.	Frog, newt and toad.

Classification keys can help us identify animals and plants. The classification key below can help us identify the different groups of vertebrates.