Most of the things living on this planet are invertebrates, so getting to know a little about them is a good idea. Invertebrates are members of the Kingdom Animalia, they are linked together by the fact that they have no backbone or vertebrae. They do not include the Protozoa who are generally considered to be part of the Kingdom Protista.
The diversity and number of invertebrates is mind boggling, most of them are insect however and you can find out about them at the Wonderful World of Insects
The Kingdom Animalia is divided into 34 phyla, (singular phylum), below is a list of the phyla with their common name and approximate number of named species. You can follow the links to a page about each phyla. In order to make certain that something is available concerning each phyla quickly I have written a brief introduction to each for the time being and am now involved in expanding these. Hence this part of The Earthlife Web should be considered to be Under Construction
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Number of Species |
| Phylum Placozoa | Placozoa | 1 |
| Phylum Porifera | Sponges | 10 000 |
| Phylum Cnidaria | Sea Anenomes, Jellyfishes | 9 500 |
| Phylum Ctenophora | Comb Jellies | 90 |
| Phylum Platyhelminthes | Flat Worms | 25 000 |
| Phylum Mesozoa | Mesozoa | 50 |
| Phylum Nemertina | Ribbon Worms | 900 |
| Phylum Gnathostomulida | Sand Worms | 80 |
| Phylum Gastrotricha | Gastrotrichs | 400 |
| Phylum Rotifera | Rotifers | 2000 |
| Phylum Nematoda | Nematodes | 80 000 |
| Phylum Nematomorpha | Horsehair Worms | 240 |
| Phylum Kinorhyncha | Spiny-crown Worms | 100 |
| Phylum Loricifera | Brush Heads | 10 |
| Phylum Acanthocephala | Spiny-headed Worms | 1 000 |
| Phylum Cycliophora | Cycliophorans | 1 |
| Phylum Entoprocta | Marine Mats | 150 |
| Phylum Ectoprocta | Bryozoans | 5 000 |
| Phylum Phoronida | Phoronans | 10 |
| Phylum Brachiopoda | Lamp Shells | 335 |
| Phylum Mollusca | Slugs, Snails, Squid. | 110 000 |
| Phylum Priapulida | Phallus Worms | 16 |
| Phylum Sipuncula | Peanut Worms | 320 |
| Phylum Echiura | Spoon Worms | 140 |
| Phylum Annelida | Earthworms, Ragworms | 9 000 |
| Phylum Tardigrada | Water Bears | 700 |
| Phylum Pentastoma | Tongueworms | 70 |
| Phylum Onychophora | Peripatus | 80 |
| Phylum Arthropoda | Insects, Crabs, Spiders etc. | 1 000 000 |
| Phylum Pogonophora | Beard Worms | 120 |
| Phylum Echinodermata | Starfish and allies | 6 000 |
| Phylum Chaetognatha | Arrow-worms | 110 |
| Phylum Hemichordata | Hemichordates | 90 |
| Phylum Chordata | Chordates
(Tunicates, Mammals, Birds etc.) | 50 000 |
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This page was designed and written by Mr Gordon Ramel