backboned animal
nounUK /ˈbæk.bəʊnd ˈæn.ɪ.məl/
US /ˈbæk.boʊnd ˈæn.ə.məl/
A backboned animal is an animal that has a line of bones down its back.
A dog is a backboned animal, but a jellyfish is not.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. An animal whose body is supported by a backbone or spinal column.
Scientists group backboned animals separately from insects and worms.
3. Any member of the group of animals that includes mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.
The museum's exhibit on backboned animals features a whale skeleton.
4. An animal with a segmented bony column protecting its nerve cord.
Frogs are backboned animals that begin life as tadpoles.