9. “All vertebrates are chordates but all chordates are not vertebrates”. Justify the statement.
Chordates include animals characterised by the presence of a notochord. It is the primary axial skeleton surrounded by a notochordal sheath. The notochord is always present during embryonic development but may persist through life in some.
This phylum includes the sub-phyla: urochordata, cephalochordata and vertebrata. Vertebrates are characterised by the presence of the vertebral column.
Thus, all vertebrates are chordates but all chordates are not vertebrates as they can be urochordates or cephalochordates.