Phylum Chordata

The Phylum Chordata includes animals that have a notochord and a hollow nerve cord some point in their life. A notochord is a flexible rod in between the nerve cord and digestive track. This is a diverse phylum that includes about 43,700 speices. Phylum Chordata is split into three subphylums, which are Urochordata (tunicates), Cephalachordata (lancelets), and Vertebrata (vertebrates).

Vertebrates:

How are vertebrates distinguished among other Chordates- Invertebrate Chordates are not often more than a few centimeters long and live in salt water. In Vertebrate Chordates, the notochord develops into a backbone during the embyo's growth period.

Killer Whale

Hummingbird

Scientific Name: Orcinus Orca

FACTS

-all have hair or fur covering their bodies

-tear and chew their food using teeth;have complete digestive systems

-mammary glands produce milk that feed yound mammals

Vertebrate
Bilateral Symmetry

Scientific Name: Trochilidae

FACTS

-have stiff feathers that enable them to move through the air (light-weight bones)

-birds have beaks/do not chew their food; their digestive systems include gizzards and organs that help grind food into smaller pieces

-lay fluid-filled eggs with hard shells and feed/care for their young

Vertebrate
Bilateral Symmetry

Salamander

Swordfish

Scientific Name: Caudata

FACTS

-skin is moist and smooth, and their hearts have three chambers

-lay eggs that do not have hard protective coveringd, or shells

-many species/the young, have different body forms than the adults do

Vertebrate
Bilateral Symmetry

Scientific Name: Xiphias Gladius

FACTS

-have gills for absorbing oxygen gas from water and paired fins for swimming

-fish are grouped into one of the three classes

Jawless Fish
Cartilaginous Fish
Bony Fish

-most fish spend their entire lives in water

Vertebrate
Bilateral Symmetry

Sea Turtle

Scientific Name: Chelonioidea

FACTS

-their skin is water proof and covered in scales

-they lay fluid-filled eggs with leathery shells on land

-most reptiles have three-chambered hearts/also have lungs throughout their lives

Vertebrate
Bilateral Symmetry