[noun] [C], [adjective] [not gradable] [specialized] - (an animal) having a spineBirds, fish, mammals, amphibians and reptiles are all vertebrates.Giant tortoises can live for up to 150 years and are the longest living vertebrate animals.Compare invertebrate.
VERTEBRATE
Meaning of VERTEBRATE in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012