1. Warm-Up
 On your desk is a KWL, in the first column write all
the things you know about vertebrates. Once you are
finished we will go over them and as we do, put items
into the second column that you’d like to learn
about. When we are finished today, you will put
items into the third column that you learned.

2. Chapter 11:
Fishes, Amphibians, and
Reptiles
SECTION 1: WHAT IS A VERTEBRATE?

3. Key Concepts
 What characteristics do chordates share?
 What characteristic do all vertebrates have?
 How do vertebrates differ in the way they control
body temperature?

4. Key Terms
 Chordate
 Notochord
 Vertebra
 Ectotherm
 Endotherm

5. Refresher: Classification Chart
 Domain
 Kingdom
 Phylum
 Class
 Order
 Family
 Genus
 Species

6. All members of the
subgroup in the
phylum Chordata
are called
Chordates.
 At some point, a
chordate will have a
notochord, a nerve
cord that runs down
their back, and slits
in their throat area.
Most chordates are
vertebrates, but not
all.
The five vertebrate Characteristics of Chordates
groups are
fish, amphibians, rep
tiles, birds, and
mammals.

7. A notochord is
the flexible rod that
supports a
chordates back.
Chordata also
have a nerve cord in
their back which
sends messages
from their brain to
their nerves.
Chordates also
have slits in their
throat area. Not all
Characteristics of Chordates
keep them for their
entire life.

8. Characteristics of Chordates
 What are the five vertebrate groups?
 Why is it important for the notochord to be both firm
and flexible?

9. Most chordates
are vertebrates.
This means there
are other
characteristics that
they have then.
Vertebrates have
backbones which is
part of their
internal skeleton.
This skeleton
supports the body
and allows it to
move. Characteristics of Vertebrates

10. A vertebrae’s
backbone is also
called a spine, and
it runs down the
center of its back.
Vertebra are the
bones that are lined
up in a row down
the vertebrae’s
back. The joints
between the
vertebra give it the
ability to move.
Characteristics of Vertebrates

11. Vertebrates, like
humans, have an
internal skeleton
that protects its
internal organs.
An internal
skeleton helps give
a vertebrates body
shape and gives
muscles a place to
attach.
A vertebrate’s
endoskeleton does
not need to be
replaced, instead it Characteristics of Vertebrates
grows with the
vertebrate.

12. The body
temperature of
most
fishes, amphibians,
and reptiles is close
to the temperature
of their
environment.
Birds and
mammals are the
opposite; they have
a stable body
temperature that is
usually warmer Keeping Conditions Stable
than their
environment.

13. Fishes, reptiles, a
nd amphibians are
ectotherms.
An ectotherm is
an animal whose
body does not
produce much
internal heat.
This means that
an ectotherm
depends on its
environment for
warmth.
Ectotherms are Keeping Conditions Stable
often called cold-
blooded.

14. An endotherm is
an animal that
regulates its own
body temperature by
controlling the
internal heat it
produces.
Its body heat does
not change much
even when the
environment
temperature does.
Endotherms have
adaptations like
sweat glands, fur, or Keeping Conditions Stable
feathers to maintain
their body
temperature.

15. Science Humor