Vertebrata. Craniata. Craniata (sometimes Craniota) is a proposed clade of chordate animals that contains the Myxini (hagfish), Petromyzontida (including lampreys), and Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates)[2][3] as living representatives.
As the name suggests, Craniata are animals with a (hard bone or cartilage) skull in Chordata. Characteristics[edit] In the simplest sense, craniates are chordates with heads, thus excluding members of the chordate subphyla Urochordata (tunicates) and Cephalochordata (lancelets), but including Myxini, which have cartilaginous skulls and tooth-like structures composed of keratin. Craniata also includes all lampreys and armored jawless fishes, armoured fish, sharks, skates, and rays, and Teleostomians:spiny sharks, bony fish, lissamphibians, temnospondyls and protoreptiles, reptiles, birds and mammals.