Metazoan (Noun)
Meaning
Any animal of the subkingdom Metazoa; all animals except protozoans and sponges.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Most species of metazoan are diploid, with a distinct somatic and germ cell lineage.
- Metazoan evolution likely occurred between 630 and 580 million years ago, with several stages leading to the first bilaterian metazoan.
- Cnidarians, including jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones, are a class of marine metazoan with two distinct body forms.
- Embryonic development in metazoan species typically involves a series of complex morphogenetic movements.
- At the base of the metazoan phylogenetic tree is a consensus for the earliest branching lineages.