The first definitive echinoderms appeared near the start of the Cambrian. Echinoderms are important both ecologically and geologically. Ecologically, there are few other groupings so …

Echinoderm, any of a variety of invertebrate marine animals belonging to the phylum Echinodermata, characterized by a hard, spiny covering or skin. Living species include sea …

Together, these animals make up the Echinodermata, a word with Greek origins meaning “hedgehog skin.” Echinoderms live in every ocean, even off the coast of Antarctica. Well …

Jun 30, 2025 · Echinoderms are spiny-skinned invertebrates of the phylum Echinodermata, specifically recognized by the pentamerous body (five-pointed) symmetry in adults. The …

Echinoderms are named for the spines or bumps covering the outer surface of the bodies of many of them (Greek root word echino - meaning spiny; Latin root word - derm meaning skin). …

Dec 25, 2025 · Echinoderms are a diverse group of invertebrate marine animals that include starfish, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, and crinoids. The phylum contains about …

However, a number of fossil echinoderms were not pentameral at all, and some had downright bizarre shapes. Echinoderms have a system of internal water-filled canals, which in many …

Echinodermata has approximately 7000 described living species and about 13,000 extinct species known from the fossil record. This phylum is the largest without any freshwater or terrestrial …

Echinoderms include several familiar organisms such as starfish (or sea stars), sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, and brittle stars. These animals are found in oceans worldwide, from …

Apr 3, 2024 · Echinoderms constitute a unique group of animals that have me believing in the magic of our ocean. For a family of slow-moving creatures with no brains or bones, you’d …