marine animals Flashcards
how are plankton classified
by size
2 groups of corals
Hermatypic = mound-building
Ahermatypic = deep water
2 phyla that have bilateral symmetry and their characteristics
- Nematoda = flow through digestive system (mouth + anus)
- Annelida = metamerism – segmentation, most complex worms
2 types of Mollusca
Gastropods = snails
Bivalves = enclosed
cephalopod characteristics
Nautilus, octopus, cuttlefish, squid
- Can have shell or not
- Mobile and highly advanced
Arthropoda characteristics
- Most successful phylum on Earth
- Exoskeleton – chitin
- Striated muscle
- Articulation
echinoderm characteristics
Starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumber
- Water-vascular system – tube feet
Chordata characteristics and its 2 types
- Notochord
- tubular dorsal nervous system
-Invertebrate chordates = No bones e.g. Tunicates
-Vertebrate chordates = backbones, 95% of all chordates
Ocean-going reptiles characteristics
sea turtles + salt crocs
- Ectothermic – rely on external hear to warm them up (cold blooded)
What distinguishes between marine
birds and terrestrial birds
- True sea birds – avoid land (except for breeding)
- Sea birds have glands to eliminate salt
4 common features shared by all marine mammals
- Streamlined body shape
- Generate internal body heat – endothermic (warm blooded)
- Modified respiratory system
- Osmotic adaptations
some special adaptions of marine reptiles as compared with marine mammals
marine reptiles:
- Lay eggs
- ectothermic
- Reptiles = thrive in warm waters
- Reptiles (scales) / mammals (hair)
