Chordata
- Includes fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals
- Vertebrate- have backbones
- Deuterostome- during embryonic development the first opening, blastopore, forms the anus
- Coelomates- has true coelom- a fluid filled cavity in the body that contains the digestive tract and other organs.
- Notochord- a rod that extends the length of the body and serves as a flexible axis
- Dorsal, hollow nerve cord
- Tails- aid movement and balance, in humans this is the vestigial tail bone
- Pharyngeal slits - a series of openings that connect the inside of the throat to the outside of the neck. These are often used as gills.
- Endotherms- maintain consistent internal body temperatures, or Ectotherms- unable to regulate internal body temperatures, must absorb heat from environment