| Term | Definition |
|---|
| vertebrate | animal with a backbone; also the largest group of chordates |
| endotherm | warm-blooded animal that controls its internal body temperature by using chemicals |
| ectotherm | cold-blooded animal that controls its body temperature by using external sources |
| chordate | animal possessing a tail, notochord, hollow nerve cord and pharyngeal pouch sometime during its development |
| operculum | bony plate covering the gills of bony fishes |
| scales | bony structures covering the body of bony fishes |
| fins | fan-shaped structures used by fish to steer, stop and balance |
| lateral line | sensory cells along the side of the fish used to sense vibrations |
| gills | organs used to take oxygen from the water |
| swim bladder | sac-like structure used to change the buoyancy of the fish |
| chordates | vertebrates, lancelets, tunicates |
| fishes alive today | bony fishes, cartilaginous fishes, jawless fishes |
| vertebrae | irregular shapes bones of the spinal column |
| notochord | stiff, flexible structure that develops into the backbone |
| jawless fishes | smooth, slimy skin, with round, jawless mouth; lampreys and hagfish |
| cartilaginous fishes | strong swimmers, expert predators, oily livers; sharks, rays, skates |
| bony fishes | bony skeleton, can rest without swimming, have a swim bladder; salmon, trout... |
| amphibians | 'double-life', can live on land and in water, ectotherms, thin skin, can breathe through skin or lungs; frogs/toads, salamanders, caecilians |
| reptiles | ectotherms, thick skin that helps retain water, amniotic egg; snakes/lizards, crocodiles/alligators, turtles/tortoises, tuataras |
| caecilians | worm-like amphibians, no legs, bony scales |
| tuataras | reptiles without visible ears, live only on islands near New Zealand |
| vocal sac | thin-walled sac covering the vocal cords, found in amphibians |
| amniotic egg | an egg that has all the structures for the development of an embryo |
| albumen | provides protein and water to the developing embryo in an amniotic egg |
| allantois | stores wastes and allows oxygen to reach the developing embryo of an amniotic egg |
| yolk | provides food to the developing embryo of an amniotic egg |
| lungs | organs that exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide |
| ecological indicators | organisms that are sensitive to environmental changes |
| pharyngeal pouch | structure of chordates that will develop into gills and other organs |
| cartilage | tough, flexible tissue found between vertebrae and ears/nose |
| tadpole | immature frog or toad |
| metamorphosis | a change in form; as in a frog from egg to tadpole to adult |
| internal fertilization | male inseminates female, embryo develops inside or outside of the female |
| external fertilization | females lays unfertilized eggs, male then expels sperm on eggs; most fish reproduce this way |
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