Marine invertebrates
The term "marine invertebrates" is used to describe animals found in a marine environment which are invertebrates: lacking a vertebral column. In order to protect themselves, they may have evolved a shell or a hard exoskeleton, but this is not always the case.
As on land and in the air, invertebrates make up a huge portion of all life in the sea. Invertebrate sea life includes:
- Annelida (polychaetes);
- Brachiopoda;
- Bryozoa, also known as moss animals or sea mats;
- Chaetognatha;
- Cephalochordata;
- Cnidaria, such as jellyfish, sea anemones and corals;
- Crustacea, including lobsters, crabs, shrimp, crayfish and barnacles;
- Ctenophora, also known as comb jellies;
- Echinodermata, including sea stars, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, and crinoids;
- Echiura;
- Gnathostomulids
- Hemichordata;
- Kamptozoa;
- Kinorhyncha;
- Loricifera;
- Mollusca, including shellfish, squid, octopus, whelks, Nautilus;
- Nemertinea (ribbon worms);
- Phoronida;
- Porifera (sponges);
- Priapulida;
- Pycnogonida;
- Sipunculida;
- Tunicata, also known as sea squirts.
See also
References
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