Chordate (Noun)
Meaning
Any animal of the phylum Chordata having a notochord or spinal column.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- All vertebrates, from fish to humans, are chordates that possess a notochord at some stage of their development.
- Most chordates are vertebrates, with the vertebral column being a defining characteristic of the group.
- The lancelet, a small marine animal, is a simple chordate with a notochord and gill slits.
- Lampreys and hagfish, eel-like fish that live in deep water, are chordates that have lost many of the characteristics of their vertebrate ancestors.
- The sea squirts, marine animals that filter plankton from the water, are chordates with a notochord and pharyngeal gill slits.