Phylum chordata Along the more southern coasts of North America, half buried in sand on the seafloor, lives

a small fishlike translucent animal quietly filtering organic particles from seawater. It is amphioxous which represents an early departure from the main line of chordate descent. It closely ressembles the earliest prevertebrate having the four distinct features of the chordate;

1. Dorsal Tubular Nerve Chord 2. 3. Supportive Notochord Pharyngeal slits for filter feeding A postanal tail for propulsion

Characteristics of Phylum Chordata Notochord- rod like semirigid body of cells enclosed by a fibrous sheath. Dorsal Tubular Nerve chord- a single chord which is dorsal to the alimentary canal and notochord Pharyngeal Pouches and Slits- perforated slit like openings that lead from pharyngeal cavity to the outside Postanal Tail- a muscular tail that extends backward from the anus Bilateral symmetry Triploblastic organisms Ventral heart with ventral and dorsal blood vessel in a closed system Complete digestive system Segmented muscles in an unsegmented trunk A cartilagenous or bony endoskeleton present in most members (vertebrates)