{"thcode":2,"term":{"code":1269,"name":"vertebrates","parent":45,"scope":"Animals possessing a vertebral column or backbone including birds, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals."},"uf":[],"bt":[{"code":45,"name":"animals","parent":843,"scope":"Multi-celled organisms of the kingdom Animalia with eukaryotic cells (cells with distinct nuclei containing genetic material and bounded by thin membranes) that are heterotrophic (obtaining energy from organic substances produced by other organisms)."},{"code":843,"name":"organisms","parent":1174,"scope":"Living individuals that grow, reproduce, and die."},{"code":1174,"name":"topics","parent":1,"scope":"Themes, subjects, and concerns for which USGS information resources are relevant."},{"code":1,"name":"Categories","parent":null,"scope":"Thematic terms for categorizing information resources.  This thesaurus is intended to support finding and understanding scientific information."}],"nt":[{"code":37,"name":"amphibians","parent":1269,"scope":"Vertebrates of the class Amphibia including frogs and toads (Anura), salamanders (Urodela), caecilians (Apoda) and extinct forms which are cold-blooded and have life stages in water as eggs and larval forms (tadpoles)until they metamorphose as adults."},{"code":119,"name":"birds","parent":1269,"scope":"Land vertebrates belonging to the class Aves with warm blood, feathers, wings, and reproduction characterized by egg laying."},{"code":387,"name":"fish","parent":1269,"scope":"Cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates with fins for swimming, gills for breathing, and usually scales."},{"code":686,"name":"mammals","parent":1269,"scope":"Vertebrate animals, generally large, with skin covered by hair and large brain cavities.  Females have mammary glands for feeding the young, who are usually born quite mature."},{"code":988,"name":"reptiles","parent":1269,"scope":"Cold-blooded vertebrates of the class Reptilia.  Characterized by skin covered with scales or horny plates and reproduced by eggs. Includes snakes, lizards, crocodiles, alligators, turtles, and extinct species such as dinosaurs."}],"rt":[{"code":1267,"name":"vertebrate paleontology","parent":861,"scope":"Branch of paleontology dealing with fossil animals that have spinal columns."},{"code":1268,"name":"vertebrate zoology","parent":1339,"scope":"Branch of zoology that deals with animals that have spinal columns."}]}