Episode 1.09: Hemichordates, Chordates & Vertebrates

When asked "What's the difference between a vertebrate and an invertebrate?", most people don't really know what to answer. And indeed, even for biologists the lines between phyla at the limit of vertebrates are quite blurry. With groups like hemichordates (and echinoderms, ep108!) that can seem to be a little bit of both, it's tricky to pin point the difference - and to know vertebrates aren't even their own phylum! Have a listen to this episode to find out more on what 'chordata' is and how it links us to the entire animal kingdom.