1. CEPHALOCHORDATA
BY: NAJMA MOHAMED

2. Classification Information
Common name: Lancelet
Scientific Name: Cephalochordata
Kingdom name: Animalia
Phylum name: Chordata
Class Name: Leptocardii

3. Common With Phylum
All members of the Phylum Chordates have the following characteristics: Bilateral symmetry (equal halves)
A segmented body, including segmented muscles, etc.
Three germ layers and a well-developed coelom.
A single, dorsal, hollow nerve cord, usually with an enlarged anterior end (brain).
A tail projecting beyond (posterior to) the anus at some stage of development.
Pharyngeal pouches present at some point in development.
A ventral heart, with dorsal and ventral blood vessels and a closed blood system.
A complete digestive system.
A bony or cartilaginous endoskeleton is usually present.

4. Cont… Common Characteristics
Symmetry: Bilateral
Type of organism
Free living
Carnivore
Aquatic

5. Life Cycle/Reproduction
Average life span:500 million years ago
How it reproduces: they reproduce by releasing their eggs and sperm into the water, where they are fertilized externally. The fertilized eggs develop into free-swimming larvae that drift in the water for up to 200 days, feeding on plankton and other suspended matter, before settling down as adults.
a) Sexual
b) Specific Characteristic: Overall blade-like shape with dorsal nerve chord supported by a muscular rod called a notochord1
• Pharyngeal slits – between the pharynx (throat) and the outside. They are supported by gill arches and used to strain food particles
from the water. They are likely a primitive version of the
gill found in more complex fish and amphibians

6. Habitat/ Niche
Buried in the sand at the bottom of the ocean and sea, the tropical seas around Asia
They mostly harvested humans and domesticated animals.

7. What are three special characteristics of the organism
Interesting physical characteristics: 1) Lancelets look like slender fish without eyes. 2) Lancelets have blood vessels but no heart.
Behavior: Depending on the coarseness of the habitat, cephalochordates assume different feeding positions. In coarse sediment they bury their body entirely within the substrate. The preferred position is with their anterior end exposed to the open water. In fine sediment they lie on the substrate.
In southern china local fishermen using traditional techniques fish for and eat lancelets. The greatest importance of lancelets to people, however, is in the study of evolution.

8. Picture
Video

9. WORK CITED
CHARACTERISTICS OF CHORDATES." Sam Houston State University - Texas - Carnegie Research Doctoral Univ. Web. 13 May <
Stanger-Hall, Kathrin F.. "Cephalochordata." Animal Sciences Encyclopedia.com. 12 May <
Ramel, Gordon. "The Lancelets (Subphylum Cephalochordata)." The Earth Life Web. Web. 12 May <