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Glite Dictionary
craniate

craniate

1 9.9
An animal that has a skull, like a mammal or fish
  • noun
  • /ˈkreɪniət/
  • Specialized
: craniado
  • The craniate lineage includes animals like sharks, birds, and humans, all possessing a cranium.

Examples

  • Scientists study craniates to understand the evolution of vertebrates and their anatomical structures.

  • The most recent common ancestor to these "fishes" is the ancestor to the Craniata, or craniates, a group that is also an ancestor of the Tetrapoda, but is not considered fish.

    Academic text (2010)

  • All craniates, from fish to mammals, share the crucial feature of having a skull that protects the brain.

Synonyms

Craniata
vscraniate
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of animals with a skull that includes fish and mammals

is a general descriptor for any animal that has a skull

Surface Forms

craniate singular
craniates plural

Morphology

craniate = cranium (transparent) = crani + ate

Formed by the combining form 'crani-' (from 'cranium') plus the productive suffix '-ate' meaning 'having' or 'characterized by', so the meaning directly indicates possession of a skull in biological terminology.

Etymology

Craniate comes from the Greek root cranium, which means 'skull'. Think of a cranium as the hard case around the 'brain', so a craniate is an animal that has that skull, which is why the word names animals with a skull.