Amphioxus & Evolution

Amphioxus is a creature that is considered to be related to humans in the evolutionary train of thought. Amphioxus is a worm with a fish-like body but lacking paired fins or other limbs. They can grow to be between 5-7 cm in length. The Amphioxus is linked to vertebrates and thought to have split from the vertebrates around 520 million years ago. They resemble vertebrates in that they have a hollow nerve cord running along the back, pharyngeal slits and a tail that runs past the anus. This split from vertebrates make the Amphioxus important to evolution. They serve primarily to help understand how vertebrates have evolved and adapted threw history.