Lancelets are fish-like organisms from the chordate family

Lancelets are fish-like organisms from the chordate family. A lancelet’s most prominent feature is its notochord, an evolutionary trait that is synonymous with the chordates. A lancelet is made up of fluid-filled large cells and they give form to this organism by making it flexible and rigid. The notochord is the part that is responsible for providing support to a lancelet’s body. The form of a lancelet has “a dorsal hollow nerve cord, a tail that extends beyond the anus and a dorsal supporting rod called the notochord” (Heimberg 2950). When they are in their natural habitats lancelets usually burry a half of their body in the sand thereby leaving the other half exposed for feeding purposes. Although lancelets resemble fish, they belong to the category of invertebrates. A lancelet does not have eyes, a brain, bones, or a true skeleton. However, years of evolution have “given the organism a cartilage-like material for stiffening its gill slits, mouth, and tail” (Holland 26). This report offers a biological analysis of lancelets, their adaptations, environment, and selection pressures. The organism was chosen for the report mainly because of its unique adaptations. The organism also presents peculiar traits that are not common among other invertebrates.