Characteristics of the Amphioctopus Marginatus Essay

Moon Jellyfish are in the “Animalia Kingdom, Phylum Cnidarian, Class Scyphozoan, Order Semaeostomeae, Family Ulmaridae, and Genus Aurelia” ( Myers, 2016 ; Espinosa, ; 2016 ; Parr, 2016 ; Jones, 2026 ; Hammond, 2016 ; Dewey, 2016). The morphological description of Cnidarians are corals, sea anemones, jellyfish and hydroids. These cnidarians form a diverse phylum that contains ~9000 species, which live in aquatic (predominantly marine) environments. The phylum-defining trait of Cnidaria is the stinging cell, the nematocyte an extrusive organelle used for predation, adhesion and defense (Holstein, 1981; Lengfeld et al., 2009; Tardent and Holstein, 1982) (Steele and Technau; 2011). Also, this phylum, Cnidarians, are divided into two groups, “Anthozoa (sea anemones, corals and sea pens), which live as

They must be eukaryotic, meaning they have nucleus, and in the domain Eukarya. In the Linnaean classification this could be in the kingdom Protista like a paramecium. Another Linnaean classification of this could be in kingdom Animalia, since they are heterotrophs and their cells contain a nucleus. They could be grouped as predators, since the organism is engulfing another organism. They could also be grouped based on their locomotion. They could have cilia, legs, or even flagella.

There are twelve species within the same genus and have subtle variations in physical appearances, all living in freshwater, but due

On this image, we see the external dorsal side of a preserved crayfish. As part of the largest animal phylum the Arthropoda, the body of the crayfish is segmented, with jointed appendages and exoskeleton. The paired antennae (1) are long appendages located the front of the mouth and modified for help the animal to sense touch and taste. The antennules (2) are shorter, also paired with the same function but they also help to maintain balance. The chelipeds (3) are located on the front of the thorax, and they are responsible for defence and grasping food. On the at ventral part of the thorax, we found four pairs of walking legs (4), with these legs the crayfish changes locations on the bottom of freshwater lakes, streams and also on land. They

One hundred and fifty million years ago, large aquatic species of reptile such as the Plesiosaur dominated the ocean, and were pre-eminent predators of the sea. The branch of now extinct Plesiosaurs, or ‘near lizards', evolved into variant closely related species specialised to take different niches in the food chain. Such species of Plesiosaur include the phenotypically similar Plesiosauroid and Pliosauroid. The physiological adaptations of the long necked variant, the Plesiosauroid, as it relates to deep sea diving, will be addressed in depth.

The class of the Sepia officinalis is Cephalopoda which can be thought of in three groups: the Nautiloidea, Ammonoidea and Coleoidea each of which have adapted and evolved independently of each other (A Broad Brush History of the Cephalopoda). "Cuttlefish, along with octopuses and squid, are cephalopods—animals from an ancient branch of the tree of life that have been trolling the oceans for more than 500 million years. Cuttlefish were around long before the first shark or fish ever evolved. Their cephalopod ancestors were encased in a shell that acted as protection from predators, but the modern cuttlefish has developed an even better defense: camouflage" (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/animal-guides/animal-guide-cuttlefish/1161/). The Nautiloidea

In early 2011, a strange, haunting discovery was made on the coast of Portland, Maine. A group of tourists enjoying a luxury sunset cruise spotted an unusually large, bat-like creature making its way along the cliff face, and disappearing into a dark cave.

Echinoderms, named for their spiny surfaces, include an array of 70000 species which are all mostly sessile marine mammals, that lack overall body segments (Myers, n.d.). Nonetheless, typically ranging from 1cm-2m, they are known to have an extoskelton constructed from hard plates just beneath the skin, and possess a water vascular system- which their tube feet are connected to (Myers, n.d.). Additionally, they are known to show bilateral symmetry as larvae, but then after they metamorphose, feature a strong appearance of radial symmetry (Myers, n.d.).

*It was first described by Palias (1778) who considered it to be a Mollusc and named it Limax lanceolatus. *Costa (1834) described it as a chordateand named it as ‘Branchistoma’. In 1836, Yarrell (1836) named it as Amphioxus lanceolatus. *Amphioxus is about 1-2 inches long, marine organisms usually found in shallow parts of temperate or tropical seas buried in sand with only the head protruding above the sand surface.

This sea cucumber species is easily identifiable by its vibrant yellow color. Some individuals may even have thick, faded gray stripes along the body. They do not grow large in size like some sea cucumbers, but rather grow up to about 2.5-3 inches in length. There are thorn-like protrusions off of their soft, cylindrical body that line five longitudinal ridges of the body thus giving them a pentaradial symmetry. On the underside of the yellow sea cucumber, there are three rows of tube feet that allow for individuals to attach to various surfaces such as rocks and sponges (Figure 1) (“Yellow Sea Cucumber: Colochirus robustus” 2017). These tube feet are controlled through the use of a water vascular system that allows for general movement (Prusch and Whoriskey 1976). At the anterior end of the yellow sea cucumber, or oral end, there are eight feathery feeding tentacles that extend around the mouth (“Yellow Sea Cucumber: Colochirus robustus” 2017).

No matter where you are in the world, chances are some species of the animal kingdom known as the “phylum Arthropoda” are to be found. Having been around for an estimated 500 million years, as well as out-living the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, it’s no wonder why they are still thriving today. It is estimated that out of all animal species living on Earth, 80 percent in comprised of one of many species of Arthropoda, so it makes sense why we most likely see them every day whether we know it or not. Chances are you are even living with them at this very moment, or have even eaten some type of one within the past month (Wilkins, Blanchette, 2017). Arthropoda or arthropod means that these species have jointed appendages as

I think the most extraordinary organism is the Clione limacina, commonly referred to as the “Sea Angel”. The Sea Angel is in the domain Eukarya. Clione limacina is in the kingdom Animalia (Clione limacina). The phylum of the sea angel is Mollusca (Clione limacina). Gastropoda is the class of the Clione limacina (Clione limacina). The Sea Angel does not have a ranked order; it is unranked and fits in the clade Heterobranchia, Euthyneura, Euopisthobranchia, and Gymnosomata (Clione limacina). The superfamily of the sea angel is Clionoidea (Clione limacina). The Clione limacina is in the Clionidae family (Clione limacina). The subfamily of the Sea angel is Clioninae (Clione limacina). The genus is Clione, and finally the species of the Sea Angel is C. limacina (Clione limacina).

On average, the Lymnaea stagnalis, commonly known as the great pond snail, is less than five centimeters in length (Kemenes & Benjamin, 2009). Taxonomically, it is a member of the kingdom Animalia and the phylum Mollusca (Budha, P.B., Dutta, J., & Daniel, B.A, 2010). As a part of this phylum, the Lymnaea stagnalis possesses typical molluscan traits, such as a bilateral body and a foot on its underside (Dillon, 2000). In addition, great pond snails have two sensory antennae used for "vision" (Thorp & Covich , 2001). Taxonomists classify this organism into the class Gastropoda and order Hygrophila, because of its hard shell and lack of an operculum, a flap that covers the shell opening (Budha et al., 2010 ; Dillon, 2000). The great pond snail is part of the Lymnaeidae family under the genus Lymnaea and the species Stagnalis (Budha

The scientific classification of the Glaucus Atlanticus is as follows: kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Mollusca; class: Gastropoda; unranked: clade Heterobranchia, clade Euthyneura, clade Nudibranchia, clade Dexiarchia, clade

Up until 1947, it was believed that the Cambrian Explosion marked the first true abundance of multicellular life. However, this was discovered to be untrue after Sir Douglas Mawson and R.C. Sprigg mistakenly came across numerous "fossil jellyfish" in the Ediacara Hills while observing what was originally believed to be sandstones belonging to the lowest strata of the Cambrian. At first, these finding were dismissed as "fortuitous inorganic markings."(AAS Biographical Memoirs.) Several years later however, other discoveries of segmented worms, worm tracks, and impressions of two other assemblages that bear no resemblance to any known organism, living or extinct, prompted the South Australian Museum and the University of