Although the phylogenetic classification of non-vertebrate animals (both extinct and extant) remains a work-in-progress, the following taxonomy attempts to be useful by combining both traditional (old) and new (21st-century) paleozoological terminology. If a non-vertebrate animal is mentioned below using its common, or vernacular name, the creature is usually a living, present-day invertebrate. But if a non-vertebrate is cited below by its scientific, taxonomic genus (in italics), then it is typically an extinct invertebrate, known only from the fossil record.