Top 10 Interesting Facts About Coelenterates

Coelenterates are one of the most ancient living creatures on Earth. They appeared at a time when life was just emerging on the planet. Now they have acquired a variety of forms.

For people, coelenterates are of great importance – materials for construction are mined from dead calcareous parts of corals. Some types of coral are used for jewelry. Coral reefs serve as a refuge for fish and often become a real work of art, which divers descend to see.

The most beautiful and unusual representatives of radial animals are jellyfish. They amaze not only with their appearance, but also with their size. The article presents the 10 most interesting facts about coelenterates.

10 There are two modern types: cnidarians and ctenophores.

Multicellular animals are divided into two modern types: cnidarians and ctenophores.. Only sea creatures are classified as cnidarians. Their feature is the presence of stinging cells, which is why the name came from. They are also called cnidarian. To date, about 11 species have been found.

Ctenophores also include marine life, but their feature is the presence of cilia or a special comb. These two types of animals are very similar to each other.

9. One of the oldest living things on earth

Anyone who studies the history of life on Earth knows for sure that coelenterates are one of the oldest animals on our planet. Evolution on Earth began with the appearance of the first living being, it happened almost 4 billion years ago and continues to this day.

Scientists were able to prove that coelenterates lived in the Precambrian. Little is known about the Cryptozoic period, but it was then that the first signs of life appeared and this period means a lot for evolution as a whole.

8. Radial symmetry of creatures

The location of organ systems and body parts in all living organisms is different. In coelenterates, the radial system. It has a certain geometric order. The main elements are center, line and plane. This is typical of marine inhabitants, because the reaction of the body is the same everywhere due to the same habitat.

The symmetry of the coelenterates may differ depending on the angle of the animal. Thus it is possible to define 4-,6-,8-beam symmetry.

7. No specialized respiratory, circulatory, excretory organs

The body of intestinal animals resembles a bag, which consists of an inner and outer layers. Between them is connective tissue. The endoderm forms the intestinal cavity, which connects to a single opening. This is all that can be said about the structure of this animal.

Coelenterates do not have specialized organs, and the only opening performs oral and anal functions at the same time. They also lack circulation and excretion.

6. Asexual and sexual reproduction mechanism

Coelenterates have a mostly asexual reproduction mechanism – budding.. But they can also reproduce sexually, this happens most often in the fall.. Intestinal animals can alternate the mechanism of reproduction: one generation uses budding, the other – sexual reproduction.

Polyps give rise not only to the next generation of polyps, but also to jellyfish, which in turn leave offspring using the sexual mechanism.

5. The tentacles of the furrowed anemone have a diameter of 1,5 m

One species of coelenterates was able to break the record for the diameter of the tentacles. The tentacles of the furrowed anemone, wriggling like a snake, reach a diameter of 1,5 meters. By the way, this species gets along well in aquariums. For these purposes, they can be safely delivered even from the most remote seas.

You can see it in the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean. This marine animal is eaten in southwestern Spain, where it is referred to as “small sea nettle» due to disgusting properties in the cooking process.

4. Hydras are considered immortal

Hydra is an amazing little creature that has gained popularity due to its unusual property. If you cut the hydra into several parts, then as a result these parts turn into new living beings. That’s why they call her immortal.. The whole organism can be restored from separate small pieces of the body (less than 1/100 of the volume), from pieces of tentacles, and also from a suspension of cells. Such a phenomenon in science is called biological immortality.

In simple words, such animals do not die of old age, but can only die from an external factor. Due to the fact that the creature can still be killed, it cannot be said that the hydra has immortality.

3. Corals need sunlight

Everyone who dived or just watched programs about the unique underwater world must have noticed unusual corals. They make a real fairy tale out of the depths of the sea. Coral reefs develop best at a depth of up to 50 meters, as sunlight is vital for them, so the water must be clear.. Despite the fact that a sunbeam can penetrate to a depth of 180 meters, corals do not grow well there.

It is the most diverse ecosystem on the planet, covering only 0,1% of the surface of the world’s oceans. The most important physiological and biochemical processes are associated with photosynthesis, which is why they are so developed in shallow water.

2. Zoantaria Palythoa – the most dangerous coral

Corals have palytoxin, one of the most toxic substances found in nature. Palitoxin is produced due to the symbiosis of zoanatria with dinoflagellate microalgae. Many living creatures that feed on this type of coelenterates or are in symbiosis with them can also accumulate this dangerous substance.

Aborigines from the island of Tahiti have used coral for the preparation of poisonous and deadly weapons since ancient times. Palitoxin was first discovered only in 1971, despite the fact that corals have existed for several thousand years.. This substance is also the most complex chemical compound in nature. It is toxic to all warm-blooded animals, especially rats, monkeys, rabbits and humans. The strongest poison of non-protein nature.

1. Cyanea capillata – the largest representative of the group

This jellyfish has many names: Arctic cyanoea, cyanoea capillata, hairy or lion’s mane, but they all mean the largest representative of the intestinal group. The tentacles reach a length of almost 40 meters, the diameter of the dome grows up to 2,5 meters. These parameters make the Arctic cyanide the longest animal on the planet..

Cyanide capillata has several species, but the exact number is still not known and scientists are actively arguing. Its size can be compared with the blue whale, which is considered to be the longest creature on the planet. Its length can reach 30 meters, so it is very fair that it is cyanide capillata that claims to be the longest animal.

She lives in cold waters and can be found on the shores of Australia, but their maximum number lives in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It reaches its maximum length in the Arctic, in warm waters its growth does not exceed the average.