Chordata
Chordates, members of the Chordata phylum, are deuterostome animals characterized by having a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, an endostyle, and a post-anal tail for at least some period of their life cycles. The phylum includes the subphylum Vertebrata, including mammals, reptile, amphibian birds, and fish.. Species within the phylum Chordata are what humans typically think of when we think of animals. Even humans belong to the Chordata phylum, and the subphylum Vetebrata. Our brain and spinal cord are central to our nervous system. Chordates possess the most developed brains and the most complex nervous systems of any other phylum.