Question

A common characteristic of all vertebrates is
A) Presence of skull
B) Division of body into head, neck, trunk and tail
C) Presence of two pairs of functional appendages
D) Body is covered with an exoskeleton

Answer 1

Hint:-Vertebra refers to the bones that make up the spine or the vertebral column. Vertebrates are organisms in which a notochord is present at an early stage of their life. This notochord may or may not persist in the later stages. The notochord, later on, develops into the vertebral column in higher vertebrates.

Complete Answer:-
Vertebrate is a subphylum which includes the divisions Gnathostomata and agnatha.
The vertebrates are divided into 5 classes:
1. Fishes- Pisces
2. Amphibians
3. Bird- aves
4. Reptilia
5. Mammalia.
The vertebrates belong to the phylum Chordata and the Kingdom Animalia. These are the organisms with backbones. The backbone is made up of several small vertebrae which protect the spinal cord.
Although the vertebrates share some common features that are:
● Presence of a notochord
● Presence of a vertebral column
● Presence of a girl slit
● Presence of a hollow dorsal nerve cord
● Presence of a tail at the causal end. In humans, the remnant of the tail is the coccyx bone.
● Presence of a Bony structure around the brain which is also known as cranium – the skull,
which protects the brain from any kind of injury.
Craniata is the term that defines the presence of the skull in vertebrates.
Thus, the right option is A.

Note:- Vertebrates belong to phylum Chordata. Chordate is bilaterally symmetrical. The gill slits are also known as pharyngeal slits. Organisms which do not have the vertebral column, are called invertebrates. The phenomenon of parental care is observed in some vertebrates