Echinoderms
PHYLUM ECHINODERMATA
TYPES OF Echinoderms
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ANATOMY OF Echinoderms
OVERVIEW
Echinoderms (pronounced ee-kai-no-derms) got their fancy name from their phylum name, Echinodermata, which means “spiny-skinned” in Greek!
STARS OF THE SEA!
Many echinoderms such as sea stars clearly look like stars! But other echinoderms such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers have less of a starry appearance at first glance.
NO BLOOD? USE WATER INSTEAD!
Instead, they take in water from the sea and use that as a blood substitute! Just like real blood, the seawater they take in circulates within their body and transports oxygen and nutrients to their cells.
LOTS OF TUBE FEET!
Echinoderms have lots of tiny “feet” that look like little tubes, hence the name “tube feet”! But they can’t move their tube feet on their own. Instead, echinoderms harness the power of seawater to move their tube feet, just like a hydraulic system! By pumping seawater into their tube feet, the strong water pressure forces their tube feet to move, enabling them to move from place to place!