Ctenophora
[1] Ctenophora is a phylum of marine invertebrates, often called comb jellies, living in worldwide seas. They are notable to use cilia to swim (or "combs") and are the largest animals to swim using these.
Ctenophora
[1] Ctenophora is a phylum of marine invertebrates, often called comb jellies, living in worldwide seas. They are notable to use cilia to swim (or "combs") and are the largest animals to swim using these.
[1] Depending on the species, adult ctenophores range from a few mm to 1.5 m (5 ft) in size. 186 living species are recognised. heir body are a mass of jelly, of an external layer 2 cells and another lining the internal cavity. The phylum has various body forms, like egg-shaped cydippids with a pair of retractable tentacles capturing preys, platyctenids, and beroids, which prey on other ctenohpores.
[1] Most ctenophores live as predators, taking prey like microscopic larvae ad rotifers to adult small crustaceans, except 2 species' juveniles living as parasitse on the salps. Despite their soft bodies, fossils though represent ctenohpores appear in Lagerstätten (well-preserved fossil beds) date back to early Cambirna.
Geographic ranges
[3] Thought most ctenophora live in warm water, they're found in marine environments, like the Arctic seas, where some species are abundant. This phylum's species are native globally, but may be invasive. E.g., The ctenophore Mnemiopis leydyi was accidenlly introduced to the Black Sea in 1980s, destroying the whole region's fishing industry. overpowering native planktonic fishes and interrupting the food chain.
Habitats
[3] Ctenophores are exclusively marine animals. They may be in from coastal areas to open waters and are most typically planktonic, from surface waters down to 2,000-3,000 m. A few species are epibenthic or benthic, and can be in warm waters or on deep, cold, ocean floors, often found in association to echinoderms, cnidarians, or sponges.
Appearances
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