Marine Animal Identification Quiz

Kingdom Animalia

• Composed of multicellular, heterotrophic organisms whose cells do not have cell walls.
• Organisms that cannot make their own food and must eat other living things to stay alive.

Vertebrates and Invertebrates

• Vertebrates have a backbone or spinal column (vertebral column).
• Examples of vertebrates: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
• Invertebrates do not have a backbone or vertebral column.
• Over 90% of all animals on Earth are invertebrates.

Invertebrates

• Subdivided into almost 30 different phyla.
• First type of animal to evolve.
• Over 1.3 million different species.

Phylum Porifera

• Contains the organisms commonly known as sponges.
• Sponges are predominantly sessile, meaning they are immobile.
• Sponges are filter-feeders.

Phylum Coelenterata (Cnidaria)

• Contains "stinging organisms" with specialized stinging cells called cnidocytes.
• Examples: jellyfish, corals, sea anemone, and microscopic organisms known as hydra.
• Coelenterates have a simple gastro-vascular system.

Phylum Ctenophora

• Contains the comb jellies.
• Comb jellies use beautiful comb-like cilia to swim and move.
• They look very similar to jellyfish, but do not have cnidocytes.

Phylum Platyhelminthes

• Contains the flatworms.
• Flatworms were the first to display bilateral symmetry.
• They have a central nervous system and a very small and simple "brain".
• Examples: Planaria, which can regenerate.

Phylum Nemertea

• Contains the ribbon worms.
• Ribbon worms are often round and very thin.
• They can eject a long, sticky, highly-branched proboscis from their head.

Phylum Rotifera

• Contains microscopic aquatic organisms.
• Rotifers get their name from a circle of cilia surrounding their mouths.
• They are usually only 50 µm to 2 mm long.

Phylum Gastrotricha

• Consists of another type of worm-like, microscopic animals.
• Gastrotichs are aquatic, and some live in fresh water and others are marine.

Other Phyla

• Phylum Nematomorpha: contains horsehair worms or hairsnakes.
• Phylum Nematoda: contains the roundworms.
• Phylum Acanthocephala: contains parasitic spiny-headed worms.
• Phylum Bryozoa: contains animals that resemble clumps of moss.
• Phylum Tardigrada: contains microscopic water bears.
• Phylum Brachiopoda: contains species with a unique structure called a lophophore.
• Phylum Mollusca: contains mollusks, with a soft, squishy body called a visceral mass.
• Phylum Annelida: contains segmented worms.
• Phylum Sipunculoidea: contains peanut worms.
• Phylum Chaetognatha: contains arrow worms.
• Phylum Echinodermata: contains sea stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.
• Phylum Hemichordata: contains acorn worms.
• Phylum Arthropoda: contains arachnids, insects, and crustaceans.

Examples of Invertebrates

• Worms: flatworms, ribbon worms, horsehair worms, etc.
• Sponges: yellow tube sponge, purple vase sponge, etc.
• Cnidarians: Lion's Mane Jellyfish, brain coral, sea anemone, etc.
• Echinoderms: red-knobbed sea star, sand dollar, purple sea urchin, etc.
• Mollusks: snails, slugs, clams, oysters, octopuses, squids, etc.
• Arthropods: crabs, lobsters, shrimp, crawfish, pillbugs, spiders, scorpions, ticks, etc.