Question: Which of the following characteristics best distinguishes vertebrates (Craniata) from other chordates? Need Assignment Help? Question options: The development of a skull (cranium) and a vertebral column that replaces the notochord in most species The presence of a notochord and pharyngeal slits throughout their entire lifespan A fully developed exoskeleton and a closed circulatory system with an open heart The absence of a centralized nervous system and the reliance on diffusion for gas exchange