The métazoaires ( Metazoa , of the Greek meta , afterwards and zôon , animal, in opposition to the Protozoon S) is the modern name of the Taxon consisted the animals (members of the Animal kingdom) multicellular. The métazoaires are organizations Eucaryotes multicellular mobiles heterotrophic (they draw their energy from the living matter already made up) appeared 700 million years ago. Schematically, the métazoaires are whole of cells bathing in a medium interior and separated from the external medium.

The phylogeny of the métazoaires is in addition still full with uncertainties. The tables opposite must be regarded as an example. It will be noted that modern phylogeny completely gave up the concept of invertebrate.

The character Monophylétique of the taxon seems well established. In simpler terms, all the multicellular animals have a common ancestor of which all the current descendants are multicellular animals.

The métazoaires have a world distribution, and occupy all them mediums, including for example the black smokers.

Internal bonds

• Metazoa (phylogenetic classification)

With reading

• phylogenetic Classification of alive the by Guillaume Lecointre and Herve Guyader with the editions Belin

External bonds