What feature, characteristic of Phylum Chordata, implies the Woolly Mammoth possessed a backbone?
Answer
The presence of a notochord at some life cycle point
Membership in the Phylum Chordata is established by the presence, at some point during the organism's life cycle, of four primary structures: a notochord, a dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail. For the Woolly Mammoth, the presence of the notochord is directly linked to its identity as a vertebrate (subphylum Vertebrata). The notochord is the flexible rod that, in more derived vertebrates like mammals, develops into or is replaced by the segmented vertebral column, commonly known as the backbone.
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