‘What are Sea Invertebrates?’
‘What are Sea Invertebrates?’ by Julia J. Quinlan
1. An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. Worms, bees, and snails are examples of invertebrates. Other examples are sponges, jellyfish, sea stars, spiders, shrimps and scallops. In fact, most of the animals on Earth are invertebrates.
2. Octopuses are masters of disguise. They blend into their surroundings to stay safe and to sneak up on prey. An octopus eats mainly crabs and lobsters. If an octopus is in danger, it shoots a jet of water out of its body. This moves the octopus backward very quickly. It can also release a cloud of ink to confuse an enemy.
3. Jellyfish have existed for hundreds of millions of years, even before dinosaurs roamed the planet.
4. Some jellyfish are barely big enough to be seen. Others are more than 2m across. The largest jellyfish is the lion’s mane jellyfish. Its tentacles can be up to 36.5m long.
5. Most jellyfish eat tiny animals called plankton. Certain jellyfish can be very dangerous to humans. Even a small sting from the jellyfish called sea wasps can kill a person within a few minutes. They do not attack humans on purpose. Most stings occur when a person accidentally touches a jellyfish.
6. Sea anemones look like flowers but are actually animals. Their petals are their tentacles. They eat shrimp, fish, and other small animals. There are more than 1000 species of sea anemone.
7. Sea anemones rarely move. They are usually attached to hard surface like a rock, a seashell, or the back of a crab. Some sea anemones float near the ocean’s surface or burrow into sand or mud.
8. Although most baby crabs leave the egg looking like small adults, most do not. Instead, a newly hatched crab is usually a tiny, see-through, legless creature that swims at the top of the water. At this stage, the animal is called a zoea. Crabs then go through a process called metamorphosis. They shed their outside covering many times. By the end of the process, the crab has developed into its adult form.
Source: https://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2017/06/Alois-Arnegger-Art.html
Source: https://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2017/06/Alois-Arnegger-Art.html
