Amphioxus (Lancelet)

The Amphioxus, is also known as a Lancelet. These tiny creatures are found in sand in shallow temperate and tropical waters and in Asia they are actually harvested to eat. These animals are extremely important in terms of evolution and zoology, because it gives us a window into the past to see about the origins of vertebrates in animals. Lancelets also prove to be quite useful for evolution because it helps scientists theorize about how vertebrates have used old genes to perform new functions.