Split it Five Ways With the Echinoid Directory
May 19th, 2007 by director
Imagine a world with no head, and no forwards and backwards, just five rays shooting out, with little tubes on them telling you about the taste of the world.
That’s the world of the Echinoid Directory. It’s a catalog of the echinoderms of the world. Echinodermata include sea stars, crinoids, sand dollars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.
They have radial symmetry, most often with five appendages or directions, at least, but that basic body plan has been worked around in some really fascinating ways.
Consider the sea pig, for instance, which grooves along with its little grubby body, consuming, consuming, consuming in the deepest crevices the ocean has, dark, dark, soft yet pushed down by thousands and thousands of feet of water.
You can explore this weird corner of the animal kingdom without getting wet, or dark and cold in the depths, thankfully. Check out the Echinoid Directory.
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