What is a notochord in the phylum chordata?

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 phylum Chordata contains all animals that possess, at some point during their lives, a hollow nerve cord and a notochord, a flexible rod between the nerve cord and the digestive track. The phylum Chordata is an extremely diverse phylum, and the one most recognizable to us. read more

A notochord is a primitive beginning to the backbone. It appears in embryos as a small flexible rod made from cells from the mesoderm, which is one of the three layers of cells of embryos. Notochords are only found in the phylum chordata, a group of animals that includes humans. read more

Possession of the notochord is what distinguishes members of the most-advanced phylum, Chordata. In the sea squirts (Urochordata), the notochord is present in the tail region of the larva but disappears after the animal transforms into the adult. read more