Echinoderms Adam Sclafani
What are they? They are a type of marine animal that is found in most ocean places. They are known for their symmetry. Some include starfish, sand dollars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. They come in many colors and sizes.
Enviroment The echinoderm species are found in the interidal to abyssal zones of the ocean in the coral reefs where except for the sea cucumber, which can live in very deep ocean parts. They reside on the ocean floor.
Diversity There are about 7,000 species of the echinoderm phylum and has around 13,000 extinct species. � They are the most diverse in the coral reef areas ( hence coral being a food source )� Species get moved around by major currents reinforcing distribution.
Adaptions Many echinoderms have the amazing ability to regenerate limbs and organs if they are lost. � The lost limbs limbs are great to distract the attackers. � Defense mechanisms include poisonous spikes, ejecting toxins, and some sea cucumbers eject long sticky strings to disable an attacker.
Human Usage Echinoderms are mainly used for consumption by humans in special dishes. The sea cucumber is a delicacy in some asian countries and sea urchin is a type of sushi dish.
Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXf_Y odWw40 � sea cucumber defense
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