Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Classification of Animals
– Classification Based on Notochord
- Summary
- What’s Next?
In the previous segment of the chapter ‘Diversity in Living Organisms’, we studied about the phanerogams of the kingdom Plantae. In this segment, let us get introduced to the kingdom Animalia.
How are animals classified?
One among many parameters to classify animals is to classify them based on a notochord (backbone or vertebral column) of the animal body.
Based on the presence or absence of a notochord, animals are classified into non-chordates, hemichordates, and chordates.
What are the different types of animals based on the presence or absence of a notochord?
- Non-chordates
Non-chordates are the lower animals which do not possess a proper notochord. They include various phyla like:
-
- Porifera
- Coelenterata
- Platyhelminthes
- Nematodes
- Annelids
- Arthropods
- Echinodermata
- Mollusca
Hemichordates
These organisms have a notochord but only for a specific period of their life cycle.
