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Metazoa is another word for animal, and metazoans have been around since the Cryogenian Period. Characteristics of metazoans include eukaryotic cells; unikonta, which are amoebozoa, fungi, animals, and several flagellate eukaryotes (the choanoflagellates); opisthokonta, which are fungi and animals; holozoa, the closest single-celled relatives of animals; and filozoa, the animals and their closest single-celled relatives. After the Cambrian Explosion, the metazoans greatly diversified and resulted in various invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Metazoa
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