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- Animal Diversity Web
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Overview |
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The phylum Echinodermata, which means "spiny skin", has about 20,000 species.
They are aquatic animals with radial symmetry and inhabit both shallow and deep waters.
Echinoderms have an intricate water vascular system which is a network of
fluid-filled canals inside their body and functions in locomotion, feeding, and gas exchange.
They eat a wide variety of food including molluscs, plankton and algae, and
a few species of starfish are even known to eat other starfish.
Some echinoderms have suctions cups at the end of their tube feet (a part of their water vascular system)
and use them to pry open clams and barnacles.
Sea stars actually eat by inserting their stomach into their prey and eating the insides.
Echinoderms also have the ability to grow back missing limbs.
Two species are currently on the endangered list - Echinus esculentus and Isostichopus fuscus.
They have little human value as food, but have some economic value being sold for aquariums.
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Phylogeny |
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Scientific name -- Common name
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Echinodermata -- Sea stars, Brittle stars, Sea urchins, Sand dollars, Sea cucumbers
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References | |
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Acknowledgements |
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I thank John
Pickering for his assistance with the development of this page.
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Following modified from Animal Diversity Web
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