What is an invertebrate?

Hey Defenders! If you have ever taken an animal class or read a book on animals, then you have probably heard the term invertebrate. Invertebrate is an important word in the world of biology and it refers to all the animals that do not have back bones or spinal structures originating from the notochord. Invertebrates make up a massive portion of the animal world, in fact invertebrates are believed to now be over 95% of the animals we know of on planet earth. There has easily been over 1 million invertebrates described as of 2018.  Scientist think this is only the tip of the iceberg for the invertebrates left to be discovered. Inverts come in all shapes and sizes and many invertebrate families like the insects are incredibly successful.  There are so many different sections of the Animal Kingdom where you can explore invertebrates, so be sure to check out the Arthropod center, Cnidarian center, Mollusks Center or even the Sea Sponge Center of the Kids’ Zone

If you want to learn a little bit about our animal friends with backbones, then head to the What is a Vertebrate tile of the Kids’ Zone defenders!