Why is the whale shark in the phylum of chordata?

Answer 1

To answer the question in the simplest way, the giraffe has a backbone.

However, there is more to it than that, especially given that there are two invertebrate chordate groups - Urochordata (tunicates) and Cephalachordata (lancelets) - whose backbone is not in the form of actual vertebrae.

As Chordates (or members of the phylum Chordata), giraffes share the following characteristics:

• dorsal nerve cord which is a bundle of nerve fibres which runs down the back. It connects the brain with the lateral muscles and other organs.
• notochord which is a cartilaginous rod running underneath, and supporting, the nerve cord - in the case of the giraffe, a spine.
• post-anal tail - an extension of the body past the anal opening. (This feature is not always present in some adult Chordates such as frogs and humans, but it is present in the giraffe.)
• Pharyngeal pouches - Chordates, at some stage of their life, have pharyngeal grooves and pouches that develop into other essential parts of their anatomy.

Answer 2

To answer the question in the simplest way, the leopard has a backbone.

However, there is more to it than that, especially given that there are two invertebrate chordate groups - Urochordata (tunicates) and Cephalachordata (lancelets) - whose backbone is not in the form of actual vertebrae.

As Chordates (or members of the phylum Chordata), leopards share the following characteristics:

dorsal nerve cord which is a bundle of nerve fibres which runs down the back. It connects the brain with the lateral muscles and other organs.

notochordwhich is a cartilaginous rod running underneath, and supporting, the nerve cord - in the case of the leopard, a spine.

post-anal tail - an extension of the body past the anal opening. (This feature is not always present in some adult Chordates such as frogs and humans, but it is present in the leopard.)

Pharyngeal pouches - Chordates, at some stage of their life, have pharyngeal grooves and pouches that develop into other essential parts of their anatomy.

Answer 3

the whale shark is in the phylum of chordata because it has a backbone