A family of small, fish-like marine animals with a notochord (a flexible rod-like structure) instead of a true backbone, also known as lancelets.
From Greek 'amphi' (both/around) + 'oxys' (sharp) + '-idae' (family suffix). The scientific family name describes these creatures' sharp-pointed bodies at both ends. Named in the 1800s when scientists classified these primitive chordates.
Amphioxididae are living fossils that haven't changed much in 500 million years—they're basically what your ancestors looked like before they grew bones! Finding these creatures proved that all vertebrates evolved from something simpler, making them absolutely crucial to understanding how humans fit into the tree of life.
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