| Sponges | Cnidarians | Arthropods | Roundworms | Flatworms | Annelids | Mollusks | Echinoderms | Chordates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levels of Organization | Specialized Cells | Specialized Cells, tissues | Specialized Cells, tissues, organs | Specialized Cells, tissues, organs | Specialized Cells, tissues, organs | Specialized Cells, tissues, organs | Specialized Cells, tissues, organs | Specialized Cells, tissues, organs | Specialized Cells, tissues, organs |
| Body Symmetry | Absent | Radial | Bilateral | Bilateral | Bilateral | Bilateral | Bilateral | Radial (as adults) | Bilateral |
| Germ Layer | Absent | Two | Three | Three | Three | Three | Three | Three | Three |
| Body Cavity | Acoelom | True coelom | Pseudocoelom | Acoelom | True coelom | True coelom | True coelom | True coelom | |
| Embryological Development | Protostome | Protostome | Protostome | Protostome | Protostome | Deuterostome | Deuterostome | ||
| Segmentation | Absent | Absent | Present | Absent | Absent | Present | Absent | Absent | Present |
| Cephalization | Absent | Absent | Present | Present | Present | Present | Present | Absent (as adults) | Present |