31. Synteny analysis indicates that there were 17 chromosomes in the last common ancestor to the Chordates . 32. Humans and other chordates are conspicuous examples of organisms that have metameres intimately grouped into tagmata. 33. Stomochords were initially considered a variant of a primitive notochord, a defining feature of chordates . 34. Among chordates some fishes and mammals have suckers, which are used as holdfast to substrata. 35. The duplication event likely occurred sometime in the chordate lineage near the divergence of the coelacanth. 36. "So much for chordate uniqueness marked by slightly later evolution, " he wrote. 37. One of its cousins would be direct progenitor to the line of chordates that vertebrates belong to. 38. The process is similar in zebrafish and other chordates , such as the chicken and the mouse. 39. indicates extinct taxon Some palaeontologists contend that because Conodonta are chordates , they are primitive fish. 40. In addition, the presence of alkaloids in the plant prevents insects and chordate animals from eating it.
