• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

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Phylum Chordata is a major animal phylum that includes all vertebrates, such as fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammal, as well as several groups of invertebrate chordates. Members of this phylum are characterized at some stage of their life cycle by possessing a notochord (a flexible supporting rod), a dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits or pouches, an endostyle or thyroid gland, and a post-anal tail. Chordates inhabit nearly every environment on Earth, from deep oceans and freshwater habitats to deserts, forests, and polar regions.