Sponges
Sponges belong to the Phylum Porifera. Sponges occur in almost every type of aquatic habitats but are most common in the marine habitats. The Phylumn Porifera is further broken down into three classes, Class Calcarea, Class Demospongiae, and Class Hexactinellida.
Sponges have a unique method of feeding in that they do not posess mouths. Instead tiny pores located in the outer walls of the sponge draw water into the animal and food is filtered out of the water as it is pumped through the body and discarded through larger openings. Water flows in one direction through the sponge, driven by flagella that line the surface of the sponge's feeding system.
Some sponges that occur in the Great Barrier Reef include:
- yellow burrowing sponge
- tubular sponge
- thick yellow fan sponge
Echinoderms
Echinoderms belong to the Phylum Echinodermata. Echinoderms are pentaradially (five-axis) symmetrical as adults, have a water-vascular system, and an endoskeleton. Members of this phylum include sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea lilies.
Some echinoderms that occur in the Great Barrier Reef include:
- sea urchin
- sea cucumber
- blue sea star
- brittle star
Sources
For a list of sources used in the creation of this visual guide, please see the Recommended Reading page.