Term | Definition |
Chordate | The phylum whose members have a notochord, a nerve cord, and slits in their throat area at some point in their lives. |
Vertebra | The bones that make up the backbone of an animal. |
Notochord | A flexible rod that supports a chordate's back. |
Ectotherm | An animal whose body does not produce much internal heat. |
Cartilage | A flexible, strong tissue that is softer than bone. |
Endotherm | An animal whose body controls and regulates its temperature by controlling the internal heat it produces. |
Fish | An ectothermic vertebrate that lives in the water and has fins. |
Swim Bladder | An internal gas-filled organ that helps a bony fish stabilize its body at different water depths. |
Buoyant Force | The force that water exerts upward on any underwater object. |
Amphibian | An ectothermic vertebrate that spend its early life in water and its adulthood on land, returning to water to reproduce. |
Habitat | The specific environment in which an animal lives. |
Atrium | A upper chamber of the heart. |
Ventricle | The lower chamber of the heart, which pumps blood out to the lungs and body. |
Reptile | An exothermic vertebrate that has lungs and scaly skin. |
Urine | The watery fluid in which the wastes produced by an animal's cells are excreted. |
Fossil | The hardened remains or other evidence of a living thing that existed a long time in the past. |
Sedimentary Rock | Rock formed from hardened layers of sediments-- particles of clay, sand, mud, or silt. |
Paleontologist | A scientist who studies extinct organisms, examines fossils structure and makes comparisons to present day organisms. |