| Deuterostomia Temporal range: late Ediacaran – Recent |
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| A sea cucumber | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| (unranked): | Nephrozoa |
| Superphylum: | Deuterostomia Grobben, 1908 |
| Phyla and clades | |
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Deuterostomes are a nephrozoan superphylum of bilaterian animals, a taxon above the level of phylum. It is not part of the usual system of classification.
They are bilateral animals, and are contrasted with the protostomes. Deuterostomes are distingued by their embryo: in deuterostomes, the first opening (the blastopore) becomes the anus, while in protostomes it becomes the mouth.
Classification
These are the living phyla of deuterostomes:
- Chordata (vertebrates and their kin)
- Echinodermata (starfishes, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, etc.)
- Hemichordata (acorn worms and possibly graptolites)
This is an extinct deuterostome clade:
- Saccorhytida
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Images for kids
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Deuterostome Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.