Is Pikaia an arthropod?

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Is Pikaia an arthropod?

Take a good look at the fossil and reconstruction of Pikaia. Then compare what you see to the arthropod checklist below.

Does it look like Pikaia inherited all of the characters of an arthropod?

Based on the available evidence, is Pikaia part of the arthropod lineage?

Yes No

Yes No


	At first glance, Pikaia might look like it had a segmented body, but those "segments" are actually just the imprints of muscle bundles — like the ones shown on this modern amphioxus.

Pikaia

Pikaia fossil photo by Chip Clark, Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; Amphioxus images from BIODIDAC © Jon Houseman

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