10 interesting facts vertebrates

VertebratesInteresting Facts

In most birds, males and females can be easily

distinguished. The males are generally much more colorful than the females. The males use their colors to try to

attract mates. The females are generally dull brown colors.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chorwedel/5661149028/

Female Peacockhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/burningbracelets/6180632909/

Male Peacock

Instead of ingesting food, some vertebrates feed off of the

tissues of their prey. Sea Lampreys use their mouth and tongue to bore a hole

in the side of a fish and ingest the blood and tissue.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emsef/2331177860/

The mouth of a Sea Lamprey

Bonobos, similar to Chimpanzees, can only be

found in the Congo in Africa.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/graphicreality/4512176156/

The earliest known bird was the Archaeopteryx.

It seemed to be capable of flight, but still retained many characteristics of nonbirds.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14646075@N03/3935233154/

Archaeopteryx fossil

There are approximately 52,000 species of vertebrates.

Vertebrates include the largest animal ever to exist on the

planet.Blue Whales can exceed a mass of 100,000 kilograms.

A fish discovered in 2004 is just 8.4 mm long.

It’s mass is roughly 100 billion times smaller than that of a blue whale

An early gnathostome, called a Dunkleosteus, grew up to 10

meters in length.It is thought that it could exert a force of 8,000 PSI at the tip of its

jaws.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/baggis/5040125114/

Monotremes are the only mammals that lay eggs.

They are only found in Australia and New Guinea. They include only one species of platypus and four species of echidnas.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/couchy/4287853248/

The Duck-Billed Platypus of Australia

About 95% of fish have skeletons made of bone.

These fish are called “bony fish.”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarasutherland/5160563320/

Clown Fish