Pikaia

==Summary==
Pikaia is a genus of small invertebrate chordate, similar to modern lancelets. In the past it has been treated as the direct ancestor of vertebratesSciTechDaily (2012-03-06). "Pikaia Gracilens Is a Relative of but not the Genetic Ancestor to All Vertebrates". SciTechDaily. Retrieved 2022-09-23. or even the first fish,"An Early Chordate that Lived 513 Million Years Ago". Discover Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-23. but rather it was likely a stem chordate closely related to the line of chordates that would give rise to vertebrates."Worm-like creature could be a relative of the earliest vertebrate". 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2022-09-23. It had a notochord and a body composed of segmets of muscle referred to as "myomeres," which is considered the major characteristics of chordates.Mussini, G.; Smith, M. P.; Vinther, J.; Rahman, I. A.; Murdock, D. J. E.; Harper, D. A. T.; Dunn, F. S. (2024). "A new interpretation of Pikaia reveals the origins of the chordate body plan". Current Biology. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.026. Its fossils have been found in the Burgess Shale in British Columbia, and it would have lived 513–505 million years ago, during the middle Cambrian.
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: 
Name: Pikaia gracilens
Origin: The Real World
Gender: Varies with specimen
Age: Varies
Classification: Animal, invertebrate chordate, Pikaiid
Powers and Abilities: Small Size (Type 2; 3.8-5 cm longWalcott, Charles D. (1911). "Cambrian Geology and Paleontology II: No.5--Middle Cambrian Annelids" (PDF). Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 57 (5): 109–144.), Non-Standard Breathing (Type 1)
Attack Potency: Below Average Human level (Was likely a filter feeder,Wang, Wenjun; Wang, Changliu; Chen, Wei; Ding, Shuo (2021). "Advances in immunological research of amphioxus". Developmental & Comparative Immunology. 118: 103992. doi:10.1016/j.dci.2020.103992. PMID 33387559. S2CID 230282227. feeding on small particles of organic matter in the waterConway Morris, Simon; Caron, Jean-Bernard (2012). "Pikaia gracilens Walcott, a stem-group chordate from the Middle Cambrian of British Columbia". Biological Reviews. 87 (2): 480–512. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2012.00220.x. PMID 22385518. S2CID 27671780.)
Speed: Below Average Human (Was an active swimmer, but lacked the fast-twitch fibers found in modern swimming chordates, meaning it would have been slow-moving)
Lifting Strength: Below Average Human
Striking Strength: Below Average Human level
Durability: Below Average Human level
Stamina: Unknown
Range: Below Standard Melee Range
Standard Equipment: Antennae-like tentacles on head, small lateral limbs
Intelligence: Animalistic
Weaknesses: None notable
==Gallery==
Pikaia-gracilens-fossil-high-res-photo-USNM-57628b-scaled.jpg
Scale 1200.png|Art by Nomax
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
Inconclusive:
==References==
Category:Real World
Category:Paleozoic Era
Category:Cambrian Period
Category:Small Sized Characters
Category:Non-Standard Breathing Users
Category:Characters