Chordata
Sign in to saveA chordate ( ) is a bilaterian animal belonging to the phylum Chordata ( ). All chordates possess, at some point during their larval or adult stages, five distinctive physical characteristics (synapomorphies) that distinguish them from other taxa: a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, an endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail.
AI overview
Chordates are a group of animals that includes humans and all other vertebrates, defined by five distinctive physical features they share at some stage of their development: a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, an endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail. Understanding chordates matters because this phylum encompasses the vast majority of large, complex animals on Earth, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Subclass of
- deuterostome
- Parent taxon
- deuterostome
- Image
- Chordata.png
Show 5 more facts
- P105
- phylum
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Anatomy
- Classification
- Subphyla
- Cephalochordata: Lancelets
- Tunicata (Urochordata)
- Vertebrata (Craniata)
- Phylogeny
- Overview
- Cladogram
- Closest non-chordate relatives
- Hemichordates
- Echinoderms
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
A chordate ( ) is a bilaterian animal belonging to the phylum Chordata ( ). All chordates possess, at some point during their larval or adult stages, five distinctive physical characteristics (synapomorphies) that distinguish them from other taxa: a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, an endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail.
In addition to the morphological characteristics used to define chordates, analysis of genome sequences has identified two conserved signature indels (CSIs) in their proteins: cyclophilin-like protein and inner mitochondrial membrane protease ATP23, which are exclusively shared by all vertebrates, tunicates and cephalochordates. These CSIs provide molecular means to reliably distinguish chordates from all other animals.