2006-10-25 04:12:23 · 5 answers · asked by izzy in the hizzy 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
The chordate group - officially phylum chordata, contains all animals that contain an organ called a notochord at some stage during their development. In the subphylum Urochordata, the sea tunics there is perhaps little else to make them resemble other chordates. Other chordates include the subphyla cephalochordata and vertebrata both of which have a nerve chord. Please note that being a chordate does NOT mean having a backbone, some do, but some e.g. Amphioxus & tunics don't.
Red pandas, along with all mammals and other vertebrates have a notochord during embryonic development. although it is lost before birth.
Why carnivores? - their anatomical features, places them within this group. They have carnassial teeth, the diagnostic feature of the order. More specifically, the teeth, skull & ringed tail suggest that they are related to other small carnivores such as raccoons (family Procyonidae), although they are absent from the Americas, a feature of other members of the family. DNA evidence suggests that they are more closely related to another carnivore family, Ursidae - the bears.
In the meantime, red pandas occupy their own family the Ailuridae. They used to share this with giant pandas, but now most people believe that giant pandas are actually bears.
Both pandas certainly secondarily switched to bamboo eating from a more carnivorous diet as their digestive systems are definitely different from those of true herbivores. At one time it was thought that such a shift could only have happened once in evolution, but now it is believed that it occurred twice
2006-10-25 12:20:31 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're looking at 2 different levels of classification.
Chordata refers to whether it has a backbone (or as good as) and is a very basic level of classification, whereas carnivore refers to what it eats (meat) and is a different way of classifying animals.
2006-10-25 04:20:46 · answer #2 · answered by fubar4164 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It belongs to the order "carnivora" even though it mainly eats bamboo, because it is descended from the same (meat-eating) ancestors as other members of that group such as cats and dogs. The name is misleading as it refers to descent, not diet.
2006-10-25 04:33:56 · answer #3 · answered by Daniel R 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it's a carnivorous (meat-eating) vertebrate (it has a backbone).
2006-10-25 04:15:04 · answer #4 · answered by Disgruntled Biscuit 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlVHs0Wo9S0
2006-10-25 04:19:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋