1. Phylum Chordata
The Chordates!

2. All chordates have these 4 characteristics:
Dorsal Hollow Nerve Cord: a nerve cord that runs along the back
Notochord: long, supporting rod that runs below the DHNC

3. Pharyngeal Pouches: slits in the throat that may help with gas exchange in some animals
4. Post-Anal Tail: at some point in their lives, all chordates have a tail that extends past the anus

4. Tunicates (sea squirts) Lancelets
Most chordates are vertebrates but there are some non-vertebrate chordates.
The two groups of non-vertebrate chordates (chordates without backbones) are:
Tunicates (sea squirts)
Filter feeders that live in the ocean
Soft-bodied
Show all the characteristics of chordates as LARVAE
Lancelets
Small, fish-like creatures that live on the ocean floor

5. SO… Phylum Chordata includes:
3 subphyla:
Subphylum Urochordata (tunicates)
Subphylum Cephalochordata (lancelets)
Subphylum Vertebrata (vertebrates)
Vertebrates: fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals

6. Vertebrates include: fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
All vertebrates have:
A backbone
Bilateral symmetry
Endoskeletons
Closed circulatory systems
Complex brains & sensory organs
Efficient respiratory systems