Echinoderms

Echinoderms, are any of a variety of invertebrate marine animals belonging to the phylum Echinodermata, characterized by a hard, spiny covering or skin. Echinoderms exhibit a variety of body plans. that include starfish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea lilies.

These are filter feeder and others, keeping seaweed in check as grazers and serving as food sources for animals from predators.

Bituing-dagat (Sea Star) / Salungo (Sea Urchin) / Balatan (Sea Cucumber) / Liryong-dagat (Crinoids)

List of Fictional Echinoderms

Sea Cucumber (Holothuroidea)

The Sea Cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea. They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The harvested product is variously referred to as trepang, balatang, namako, bêche-de-mer, or balate. Sea cucumbers serve a useful role in the marine ecosystem as they help recycle nutrients, breaking down detritus and other organic matter, after which bacteria can continue the decomposition process.


Sea Urchins (Echinoidea)

The Sea Urchins are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin are distributed on the seabeds of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to 5,000 meters (16,000 ft; 2,700 fathoms). The spherical, hard shells (tests) of sea urchins are round and covered in spines. Predators that eat sea urchins include a wide variety of fish, starfish, crabs, marine mammals, and humans.


Brittle Stars (Ophiuroidea)

The Brittle Stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (from Latin ophiurus 'brittle star'; from Ancient Greek ὄφις (óphis) 'serpent', and οὐρά (ourá) 'tail'; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomotion. The ophiuroids generally have five long, slender, whip-like arms which may reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in length on the largest specimens.


Starfish (Asteroidea)

The Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish are also known as asteroids due to being in the class Asteroidea. About 1,900 species of starfish live on the seabed in all the world's oceans, from warm, tropical zones to frigid, polar regions. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, at 6,000 m (20,000 ft) below the surface.


Crinoids or Sea Lilies (Crinoidea)

The Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their juvenile form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms, called feather stars or comatulids, are members of the largest crinoid order, Comatulida.