Vertebrates vs. Invertebrates: What's the Difference?
Read the comparison below, or explore it visually. Create a visual lesson comparing vertebrates and invertebrates using available credits or plan allowance.
Vertebrates are animals with a backbone, a column of small bones called vertebrae that protects the spinal cord, while invertebrates have no backbone at all. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are vertebrates. Insects, spiders, worms, snails, octopuses, starfish and jellyfish are invertebrates, and together they make up the vast majority of known animal species.
At a glance
| Vertebrates | Invertebrates | |
|---|---|---|
| Backbone | Present: vertebrae around the spinal cord | Absent |
| Skeleton type | Internal skeleton of bone or cartilage | Exoskeleton, shell, fluid pressure or none |
| Nerve cord | Along the back, brain inside a skull | Often along the belly side, or a simple net |
| Share of species | A small minority of animal species | The vast majority of animal species |
| Examples | Rohu fish, frog, cobra, peacock, human | Earthworm, honeybee, spider, snail, octopus |
Which should you use?
Classify an animal as a vertebrate when it has an internal backbone, as in the Indian peacock, a cobra, a frog or a shark, whose skeleton is cartilage but still includes vertebrae.
Classify an animal as an invertebrate when it has no backbone, such as an earthworm in farm soil, a honeybee, a garden snail or an octopus, which is a soft-bodied mollusc.