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“Living gigantic sharks, such as the whale shark and basking shark, as well as many other gigantic aquatic vertebrates like whales have slender bodies because large stocky bodies are hydrodynamically inefficient for swimming,” Shimada said.

By contrast, most aquatic vertebrates have a lateral line that is streamlined near the animal’s tail and only becomes complex near their head.

Given the prevalence of back pain in at least some of their long-suffering descendants, perhaps it’s appropriate that with the first vertebrates on Earth came the first painkillers on Earth.

Under Florida law, fossils of vertebrates found on state lands, which include near-shore waters, belong to the state under authority of the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Various groups of vertebrates, including fish, frogs, and birds, as well as invertebrates such as spiders and flies and wasps, showcase blue coloration.