invertebrate. Article #2. Vol. 6, pg 363.
Today I learned that more than 90% of all living animals are invertebrates. Since I associate mostly with humans, dogs, and the occasional cat, I figured that most of us in the animal kingdom had backbones. Apparently, however, we backboners (or “vertebrates”) are in the minority
Given the preponderance of creatures without backbones, it’s quite an injustice that Britannica gives our invertebrate bretheren only 1/4 of a column. You might be thinking that this is only because the term invertebrate is too broad, taxonomically speaking, to go into any real detail. I would just point out that Britannica gives we vertebrates a full column. (Vol. 12, pg 332). I guess that until our gelatinous friends make some real advances in the arts or the sciences, they can expect continued snubs by the backbone-dominated Britannica editorial staff.
Visit invertebrates at Wikipedia.
“invertebrate.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. 2010. Vol 6, pg 363.