4 Prologue: Why Study Vertebrates? 



point of being repulsive to us. We accept the dog and cat because we 

 tacitly acknowledge something in their nature common to our own. 

 This something, however, is present in varying degree in backboned 

 animals. The goldfish, frog, turtle, and snake have backbones but these 



>THOR/OC. 



NTERVERTEBRAL 



Fig. 3. The human vertebral column 

 viewed from the left side. (After Sobotta. 

 Courtesy, Neal and Rand: "Chordate 

 Anatomy,'' Philadelphia, The Blakiston 

 Company.) 



animals are far less satisfactory as pets or companions. They are less 

 human. Birds, also backboned, interest us greatly but, as a rule, they 

 are inclined to hold themselves aloof from us. It is evident that even 

 some vertebrate animals resemble man much mOre closely than do others. 



