What are the characteristics of chordates and vertebrates?

These characteristics are only present during embryonic development in some chordates. The notochord provides skeletal support, gives the phylum its name, and develops into the vertebral column in vertebrates. The dorsal hollow nerve cord develops into the central nervous system: the brain and spine. read more

The circulatory system is a closed one with a ventrally located heart. Those are the major characteristics of vertebrates. Chordates. Chordates are primarily the animals with some very distinctive characteristics including a notochord, dorsal nerve chord, pharyngeal slits, endostyle, and a muscular tail. read more

Characteristics of Chordates Vertebrates are members of the kingdom Animalia and the phylum Chordata (Figure 1). Recall that animals that possess bilateral symmetry can be divided into two groups—protostomes and deuterostomes—based on their patterns of embryonic development. read more

Four distinctive derived characteristics of chordates distinguish them from their ancestors: A. Notochord, or a rod of vacuolated cells, encased by a firm sheath that lies ventral to the neural tube in vertebrate embryos and some adults. read more

Chordates and the Evolution of Vertebrates. The most familiar group of chordates is the vertebrates. However, in addition to the subphylum Vertebrata, the phylum Chordata also contains two subphylums of invertebrates: Urochordata and Cephalochordata. read more

In the case of vertebrate chordates, the notochord is usually replaced by a vertebral column during development. Taxonomically, the phylum includes the following subphyla: the Vertebrata, which includes fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals; the Tunicata, which includes salps and sea squirts; and the Cephalochordata, which include the lancelets. read more