Starfish

Starfish

 

Common Names: Sea Star, Starfish

 

Description: Shape and size - It is shaped like a star, sizes can very from only 1-2 inches across to 10 inches across

Skeleton - Endoskeleton

Symmetry - Radial symmetry

Features - There are no freshwater starfish. They have bony calcified skin which protects them from predators. They can regenerate limbs, and in some cases entire bodies. They can consume prey outside their bodies by prying the prey open with its tube-like feet and sticking their sack-like cardiac stomach inside of the prey, digesting it from the inside out... alive!

 

Taxonomy: 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Echinodermata

Class: Stelleroidea

Order: Forcipulata

Family: Asteriidae

Genus: Asterias

Species: Forbesi

 

Ecology: Relationship to other organisms - Starfish are closely related to sea urchins and sand dollars.

Interesting Features - Sea stars have no brain and no blood. Their nervous system is spread through their arms and their "blood" is filtered sea water.

Earth Worm

 Earth Worm

 

 

Common Name:  Earthworm, Night crawler (In the U.S)

 

Description:  Shape and size - The earthworm is tubed shaped, and can vary from 7-8 centimeters in length, all the way to 35 centimeters (14 inches).

Skeleton - Hydroskeleton

Symmetry - Bilateral Symmetry

Features - They have a segmented body, and if you cut it down the center of is body, the left and right side would be identical.

 

 

Taxonomy: 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Annelida

Class: Clitellata

Order: Haplotaxida

Family: Lambricicdae

Genus: Lumbricus

Species: Terrestris

 

 

 

Ecology: Relationship to other organisms - Earthworms improve the physical structure of the soil. They increase the moisture absorption and moisture available to plants.

 

Interesting Features - One Earthworm can digest 36 tons of soil in one year. This improves soil fertility. Also, there are 25 Earthworms per square foot, equal to 1 million Earthworms per acre.