Echinoderms Mrs Howards Life Science Echinoderms n n

Echinoderms Mrs. Howard’s Life Science

Echinoderms n n n Sea stars (often referred incorrectly as starfish) Sea cucumbers Sea urchins Brittle stars Live in a marine habitat

Echinoderms - Body Description n Radially symmetrical Marine invertebrate Have a system of fluid filled tubes which aid in respiration, waste removal & movement (tube feet)

Youtube Video on Echinoderm Body Plan https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=K 2 G 7 L 5 hc. Et 8

Echinoderm Protection n n Hard exoskeleton Spiny skin Some have poisonous stinging pincer-like organs or use chemical secretions (asteroids) Some can entangle with white threadlike projections (sea cucumbers)

Echinoderm Feeding n n Some are carnivores that use tube feet to pry open the shells of bivalve mollusks Sea lilies, basket stars & brittle stars use tube feet on flexible arms to capture plankton that float by on ocean currents (filter feeding)

Echinoderm Locomotion n n Tube feet (similar to a hydraulic system) are used for locomotion There also muscles within the spines that permit movement

Echinoderm Special Characteristics A sea cucumber will cast out its intestines to entangle, frighten or confuse a predator n Sometimes, the predator will feed on these intestines allowing the cucumber to escape n The sea cucumber then regenerates its intestines n