The characteristic that is common among vertebrates is:
D) Breathe with lungs or gills.
Vertebrates generally possess either lungs (in mammals, birds, and reptiles) or gills (in fish and some amphibians) for respiration. The other choices do not apply universally to all vertebrates:
- A) Support by an exoskeleton: This is characteristic of arthropods, not vertebrates, which have an endoskeleton made of bone or cartilage.
- B) Make own food: This is characteristic of plants (autotrophs); vertebrates are heterotrophs, meaning they consume food.
- C) Eat with teeth: While many vertebrates have teeth, some (like certain fish species) do not possess teeth in the traditional sense.