Chordates

Animals
Phylum Chordata
Chordates
• What is a chordate?
– 1. Has either a backbone or a
notochord (vertebrate)
– 2. Can either be an ectotherm or an
endotherm
– 3. Only 4-5% of animals are
chordates
What is a vertebrate?
• Animals with a backbone or vertebral
column (notochord)
• Have spinal cord- dorsal, hollow nerve cord
• Front end of spinal cord develops a brain

Sea
Squirt or
Tunicate
Lancelet http://www.diverosa.com/categories/Ascidians.htm
Chordates
• Endotherm (warmblooded)
– Has a stable body temperature
• Ectotherm (coldblooded)
– Can change body temperature due
to the environment
Section 30-1
Chordate Cladogram

Mammals
Birds
Reptiles
Amphibians
Fishes

Nonvertebrate
chordates

Invertebrate ancestor
Chordates
• Vertebrate Classes
– Jawless Fish (lamprey, hagfish)
– Cartilage Fish (sharks, rays…)
– Bony Fish (salmon, catfish, goldfish..)
– Amphibians (frogs, toads…)
– Reptiles (lizards, turtles…)
– Birds (sparrows, hawks)
– Mammals (humans, whales, dogs…)
What are Fish?
• Anything with gills, scales and fins…

• 1st fish were jawless

• Devonian Period - “Age of Fish”

• Fossil of a devonian fish

• With jaws and armored plates

http://www.fossilmuseum.net/EdResources/FishImages.htm
• Fish have a two chambered heart- blood is
passed over the gills where it picks up
oxygen
Respiration
• Water passes over GILLS, oxygen is added
• Some fish have gill covers - OPERCULUM
• (Some fish have special organs to serve as
lungs; lungfish)
Excretion
• Homeostasis: maintaining balance, internal
conditions (in the case of fish, water
balance)
• Salt water fish tend to lose water
• Fresh water fish tend to gain water

• *This is why you can’t put a salt water fish

in a fresh water tank.
Other Fish Adaptations
• Fish fins help stabilize the fish and propel it
forward
• Swim Bladder - maintains buoyancy (like a
balloon)
Reproduction
• Spawning- fish lay eggs that are fertilized
externally
Warm Up
• 1. What are the steps of complete
metamorphosis?
• 2. What are the stages of incomplete
metamorphosis?
• 3. What is an open circulatory system?
• 4. How do bivalves move and feed?
Class - Amphibians
Amphibians
• Amphibian- means “double life”
– Why?
• After beginning their lives in water,
most amphibians spend their adulthood
on land, returning to water to
reproduce. (Lose gills and acquire
lungs)
• http://video.nationalgeographic.com/
video/player/animals/amphibians-animals/
frogs-and-toads/
frog_greentree_lifecycle.html
Amphibians
• 3 types/orders:
– Anura (frogs and toads),
– Caudata (salamanders and newts), and
– Gymnophiona (caecilians, limbless amphibians
that resemble snakes)
• What’s the difference between a frog and a
toad?
– 1. Many toads have lumps behind their eyes
that contain poison that oozes out when they
are attacked.
– 2. Skin-
• Frogs are moist and smooth
• Toads are dry and bumpy
Frog Dissection
• What are the rules of lab?
• How should we behave?

• http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/
virtual_labs/BL_16/BL_16.html
Frog Dissection- Mouth
 QuickTime™ and a
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QuickTime™ and a
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Reptiles
Reptiles
• An ectothermic vertebrate that has lungs
and scaly skin.
• Major Groups:
– Lizards
– Snakes
– Turtles
– Alligators
– Crocodiles
4 living orders are typically
recognized:
• Crocodilia (crocodiles, gavials, caimans,
and alligators): 23 species
• Sphenodontia (tuataras from New Zealand):
2 species
• Squamata (lizards, snakes, and worm
lizards): approximately 9,150 species
• Testudines (turtles, terrapins and tortoises):
over 300 species QuickTime™ and a
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Reptiles
• Unlike amphibians, which have a thin,
moist skin, reptiles have dry, tough skin
covered with scales.
– Skin protects and helps keep water in
their bodies.
Reptiles
• Lizards and snakes shed their skin.
• All snakes are carnivores but not all lizards
are.
• Turtles have a shell made from their ribs
and backbone.
 Reptiles
• What is the difference between an alligator
and a croc?
– Alligators have broad, rounded snouts, with
only a few teeth visible.
– Crocodiles have pointed snouts, and you can
see most of their teeth.

QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a
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 Birds

• Bird: an endothermic vertebrate that

has feathers and a four-chambered
heart, and lays eggs.
• The rule is:
– If it has feathers, it’s a bird.
Birds
• Feathers:
– Contour: one of the large feathers that
give shape to a bird’s body.
– Flight: long contour feathers that extend
beyond the body on the wings and tail.
– Down: short, fluffy that are specialized to
trap heat and keep a bird warm.
Birds
• Feed
– Capture, grip and handle food, birds
use their bills.
– Bills specify per species
– Internal storage tank called a crop
– Birds do not have teeth, a gizzard
performs the grinding function
 Birds

• Adaptations for Flight

– 4 chambered heart
– Highly efficient respiratory system
– Lightweight bones with air spaces
Evolution of Birds…
• Create a Venn Diagram- characteristics of
reptiles, similarities, characteristics of birds.
Then come up with your own explanation
of the evolution of birds.
The evolutionary origin of birds
has always been a subject of
considerable debate. Birds and
flying reptiles have delicate,
lightweight skeletons which do
not fossilize well - hindering
studies on how the birds
evolved. The first bird fossil to
be found was a feather, which
was discovered in 1860 in a
limestone quarry in Bavaria.
The feather was given the
name Archaeopteryx, which is
Greek for 'ancient feather'. A
year later an almost complete
skeleton of Archaeopteryx was
discovered in the same quarry,
with the feathers and other
fine structures preserved in
minute detail.
The skeleton showed
several features which
are intermediate
between reptiles and
birds, suggesting that
Archaeopteryx and the
other birds evolved
from a dinosaur similar
to the Velociraptor
featured in the film
'Jurassic Park'.
Seven partial or
complete
Archaeopteryx
skeletons have now
been found, and they
are still among the
Mammals
• All mammals are endothermic vertebrates
with a 4 chambered heart and skin covered
with fur or hair.
Mammals
• All mammals have….
• 1. Hair or fur
• 2. Mammary glands (feed with milk)
• 3. Distinctive teeth
• 4. Highly developed brain
• 5. Extended care for the young
Mammals
• Three groups of mammals
– Monotremes
– Marsupials
– Placental mammals
Mammals
• Monotremes
– Mammals that lay eggs
– Two species:
• Spiny anteaters
• Duck-billed platypuses
Mammals
• Marsupials
– Young born alive at an early stage, but continue
to develop in a pouch
– Examples:
• Kangaroos
• Koalas
• Wallabies
• opossums
Mammals
• Placental Mammals
– Develop inside a mother’s body until its body
system can function independently.
– Examples:
• Insect-eaters
• Flying mammals
• Primates
• Rodents
• Rabbits/hares
• Marine mammals
• Hoofed mammals