Please get to know some examples of Coelenterata animals that are equipped with their general understanding and characteristics. Lots of types of animals live in waters, especially in the sea, from fish to those that look like plants. Here we will discuss the phylum Coelenterata, one of the largest animal species on earth.
Explain the Definition of Coelenterata Animals!
Coelenterata is a phylum Animalia which consists of more than 10,000 species of animals, all of which live in the waters, especially in the sea, and include animals without backbones. The term Coelenterata itself comes from the Greek word “Coelos” which means “Hole or Cavity”.
So the means of Coelenterata is a hollow animal and belongs to invertebrates (without a backbone). Coelenterata is also called Cnidaria, the word Cnidaria itself comes from the Greek word “Cnidos” which means “stinger needle”, the stinger is usually found in its tentacles.
Coelenterata characteristics
- Most of the body is radially symmetrical, if you take a straight line from top to bottom, the right and left are the same.
- The body wall consists of two layers of cells including an outer layer (epidermis) and an inner layer (endodermis).
- The digestive system is a cavity called the gastrovascular.
- Has one opening in the body that serves as both mouth and anus.
- The mouth is surrounded by stinging tentacles.
- Can live in colonies or alone.
- Most live in shallow water, especially in the sea.
- Some are attached to the bottom or on other objects and some are free swimming.
Classification of Coelenterata
1. Hydrozoa
Members of the Hydrozoa classification can live in colonies or solitary. The hydrozoa classification is an aquatic animal whose habitat is in water and its animal shape is polyp-shaped. The polyp forms are closed at the bottom and open at the top. The mouth is surrounded by tentacles. An example of an animal belonging to the Hydrozoa class is the Hydra.
2. Scyphozoa
Scyphozoa is a class of Coelenterata, its main characteristic is that it has a bowl-like body. This Scyphozoa class can be found throughout the world’s oceans to the deep sea. This class cannot be found in freshwater. They eat food such as small fish or sea mollusks which they hunt with needle-shaped and poisonous tentacles, examples of animals such as jellyfish (Aurelia).
3. Anthozoa
The Anthozoa class has the characteristics of a body shaped like a flower, has tentacles, and can generally attach to the seabed on coral reefs. The word Anthozoa itself comes from the Greek “Anthos” which means Flower and “Zoon” which means Animal if interpreted in general it becomes an animal that looks like a flower. Anthozoa animals include various sea anemones and coral animals, for example, Metridium.
Examples of Coelenterata Animals (Cnidaria)
1. Hydra Sp
Hydra Sp is a freshwater animal that can be found in tropical and temperate climates. Hydra Sp is small, belongs to the phylum Cnidaria or Coelenterata, and comes from the class Hydrozoa. This animal has a tube-like body and includes multicellular animals, its body has a length of 10 cm.
Hydra has tentacles to prey on and protect itself and its breath by diffusion. Hydra reproduces by budding, on the mother’s body there are protrusions that over time these protrusions will detach to become new individuals and can also reproduce by mating.
2. Moon Jellyfish
Moon jellyfish or also called Aurelia Aurita is an animal species that come from the Scyphozoa class and the Coelenterata phylum. This jellyfish is translucent or transparent and has a size between 25 cm to 40 cm. Moon jellyfish can gather and prey on food using their delicate tentacles such as small mollusks and plankton.
These jellyfish do not have respiratory organs such as gills, lungs, or trachea. Moon jellyfish breathe using the diffusion of oxygen from the water as it passes through the thin membrane covering its body. Moon jellyfish cannot survive for long and will die several months after reproduction.
Many types of jellyfish live in the ocean, for example, the types Phyllorhiza Punctata, Blubber Jelly, Golden Jelly Fish, Aequorea Victoria, Flower Hat Jelly, Australian Box Jellyfish, The box Jellyfish, etc. Most jellyfish have a poisonous sting and some of them are very dangerous to humans.
3. Anemone Clown
The next example of Coelenterata animals from the Anthozoa class is Anemone Clown or often called Anemone Nemo. It is called Anemone Nemo because this type is often the residence of Nemo fish. This type of anemone can move around and can stick to the bottom or on coral.
Anemone Clown If it sticks it is difficult to remove even if it sticks and in general this type of anemone has a red color. As for other types such as carpet anemones, corn anemones, sand anemones, etc., anemone has tentacles that can sting and are poisonous.
4. Metriduim
Metridium is also known as a type of sea anemone, most of which can be found in cold waters, especially in the Pacific Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean. Metridium settles somewhere in the sea objects such as coral and some are buried half of their bodies in the sand.
The body of the medium is cylindrical with a funnel-shaped mouth with tentacles that resemble a flower crown. Its body is 7 cm until some reach 1 m, white to brass.