Gnathostomata (Noun)
Meaning
Comprising all vertebrates with upper and lower jaws.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The Gnathostomata is a class of jawed vertebrates that includes all fish with jaws as well as tetrapods such as humans and other terrestrial animals.
- The Gnathostomata clade appears to have originated as early as the Ordovician Period in the fossil record.
- Fossil discoveries have shed light on the origins of Gnathostomata, revealing the presence of early jawed vertebrates in ancient aquatic ecosystems.
- Gnathostomata have formed a diverse group of species in the animal kingdom due to the distinct advantages of upper and lower jaws when compared to jawless vertebrates.
- This subunit in the classification of vertebrates, Gnathostomata, provides an essential distinction in the evolution and study of various forms of vertebrate architecture and function.