What term is given to animals which possess a backbone and a spinal column?

A vertebrate is an animal with a spinal cord surrounded by a backbone. Animals that are not vertebrates are called invertebrates. There are around 69,963 species of vertebrates, including all birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. The smallest vertebrate is a recently discovered narrow-mouthed frog that is approximately only 7.7 mm (0.30 in) in length. The largest is the blue whale, which reaches 33 m (108 ft).

Despite covering five classes of animals, vertebrates make up less than 5% of all animal species. Invertebrates include insects, spiders, crustaceans, worms, snails, octopuses, jellyfish, squid and so forth.

In contrast to invertebrates, vertebrates have a highly developed nervous system and can adapt to their surroundings. Vertebrates tend to show more intelligence than invertebrates and can learn from mistakes and from each other. Invertebrates tend to act on instinct rather than careful thought and planning.

The word 'vertebrate' derives from the Latin word 'vertebratus', meaning 'joint of the spine'. The spine is made up of several bones known as 'vertebrae'. A human is a vertebrate and is born with 33 vertebrae, but the lower bones often fuse together to form the coccyx. There are typically seven vertebrae in the neck, twelve in the chest and five in the lower back.