What key feature defines Phylum Chordata for Ceratotherium simum?

Answer

Presence of a notochord during embryonic development.

Membership in the Phylum Chordata is established by the presence of specific morphological features at some point during the organism's life cycle, most prominently during embryonic stages. For the white rhinoceros, this lineage is confirmed by characteristics such as the notochord, which serves as a flexible skeletal rod; a dorsal hollow nerve cord, which develops into the central nervous system; pharyngeal slits, which relate to feeding or respiration structures early on; and a post-anal tail. Although these defining structures may not be prominent or visible externally in the mature, massive adult rhino, their transient presence during embryonic development links it evolutionary to all other vertebrates, including fish and mammals.

Related Questions

What defines Kingdom Animalia placement for the white rhinoceros?What key feature defines Phylum Chordata for *Ceratotherium simum*?Which trait characterizes the Class Mammalia status of the white rhino?What anatomical feature links *Ceratotherium simum* to Order Perissodactyla?How does *Perissodactyla* differ from *Artiodactyla* regarding locomotion?What substance composes the characteristic horns of Family *Rhinocerotidae*?Which genus designation separates the white rhino from the black rhino?What does the species epithet *simum* describe about *Ceratotherium simum*?What is the current conservation status difference between *C. s. simum* and *C. s. cottoni*?Under which CITES Appendix is the species *Ceratotherium simum* listed?

animal mammal classification rhinoceros white rhinoceros