Overview
 The chordata phylum consists of three groups:
Vertebrates, Tunicates, and Lancelets. All chordates share
the same four features:
 Notochord- flexible skeletal support rod embedded in
animal’s back
 Hollow nerve chord- forms section of ectoderm that rolls
up during development
 Pharyngeal slits- water can pass through the mouth and
leave through slits without going the system
 Tail- contains segments of muscle tissue for movement
Vertebrates
 Large active animals with a well developed brain encased
in a hard skull.
 Example: Fox
Tunicates
 (Urochordates) include free-swimming and sessile
invertebrates.
 Example: Sea squirt
Lancelets
 (Cephalochordates) are small eel-like invertebrates
commonly found in shallow tropical oceans.
 Able to swim, but spend most of their time buried in sand,
filtering water for food particles.
 Example: Lancelet
Agatha
 Oldest class of vertebrates.
 Jawless.
 Example: Lampreys
Chondrichthyes
 Cartilaginous fish
 Have skeletons made of cartilage.
 Examples: Sharks, Rays, Chimeras
Osteichthyes
 Bony fish.
 Have skeletons made of bone.
 Example: Ray-finned fish
Amphibia
 First to adapt to life on water and land.
 Reproduce in water and moist land.
 Examples: Salamanders, Frogs, Toads, Caecilians
Reptilia
 May live on land and water.
 Produce eggs that do not need water.
 Examples: Snakes, Lizards, Crocodiles, Alligators, Turtles
Aves
 Birds.
 Distinguished by feathers and other features.
 Examples: Any bird
Mammalia
 Animals with hair, mammary glands, and three middle ear
bones.
 Examples: Dogs, Bats, Humans, Monkeys