as in animals
biology
an animal that has a backbone
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Recent Examples of vertebrates
Ethanol is a potential toxin for all vertebrates, including bats and humans.
—
Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2025
Evergreen ground covers also shelter overwintering pollinators and provide year-round habit for ground-dwelling insects and vertebrates.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
But birds, like all vertebrates, can’t synthesize carotenoid pigments on their own.
—David Toews, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025
Estimated to exceed 120 feet in length and weigh around 69 tons, this colossal saurpod offered new insight into the size limits of terrestrial vertebrates.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Nov. 2025
Birds, the warm-blooded and feathered vertebrates, are being used to put romantic partners to the test.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
The species feeds by relying on symbiotic bacteria to break down fats inside the bones of large vertebrates, like whales.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2025
The team narrowed down the DNA responsible for the cloaca and showed that there were equivalent regions in mice, as well as fish that are more closely related to limbed vertebrates, like the gar.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
The playful creatures are prey to foxes, jaguars, and even at times humans, but tend to eat insects, plants, roots and smaller vertebrates, the zoo said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2025
Evergreen ground covers also shelter overwintering pollinators and provide year-round habit for ground-dwelling insects and vertebrates.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
But birds, like all vertebrates, can’t synthesize carotenoid pigments on their own.
—David Toews, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025
Estimated to exceed 120 feet in length and weigh around 69 tons, this colossal saurpod offered new insight into the size limits of terrestrial vertebrates.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Nov. 2025
Birds, the warm-blooded and feathered vertebrates, are being used to put romantic partners to the test.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
The species feeds by relying on symbiotic bacteria to break down fats inside the bones of large vertebrates, like whales.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2025
The team narrowed down the DNA responsible for the cloaca and showed that there were equivalent regions in mice, as well as fish that are more closely related to limbed vertebrates, like the gar.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
The playful creatures are prey to foxes, jaguars, and even at times humans, but tend to eat insects, plants, roots and smaller vertebrates, the zoo said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vertebrates
Noun
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On Monday, the Prairie Village City Council voted to adopt a conditional license for Oakley Reign — a spider monkey that’s recently been ushered into the spotlight as the northeast Johnson County city considered changing its definition of dangerous wild animals to include all monkeys.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
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Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the absence of whales, sucker fish avoid predators by seeking other large creatures to latch onto, including manta rays, dolphins and unlucky scuba divers.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
That means algae could grow in larger volumes, feeding more creatures and even possibly shifting how carbon moves through the ocean.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
SpongeBob is back, as are the colorful critters living in Zootopia.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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Making the area around fruit trees less attractive to critters also deters them.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The exploit impacts Unitree’s Go2 and B2 quadrupeds and G1 and H1 humanoids.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
25 Sep. 2025
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Developed by companies like Boston Dynamics, these quadrupeds are a viable solution for targeting mosquito habitats in harder-to-reach areas.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Abby’s Magical Beasties, where one of the beasties goes missing, and Abby must problem-solve.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
3 Nov. 2025
-
In a horrific twist, Kasumi (Kana Hanazawa) wakes up way too early — and thus has to battle the ferocious beasties to survive.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vertebrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vertebrates. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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