Are Sea Urchins Carnivores, Herbivores, or omnivores?
Sea urchins are omnivores. Sea urchins have a specialized feeding apparatus, called an Aristotle’s lantern. The Aristotle’s lantern is made of 5 very hard, calcareous “teeth” that they use to scrape food off the surface of rocks. Though urchins mainly feed on algae, they are generalists and will feed on a wide range of plant and animal material. BACK TO ECHINODERM INDEX OR ANSWER FILE Echinoderm question – recieved on from Ashley in Michigan Q: What are 3 traits that all echinoderms have in common? A: The phylum Echinodermata’s defining characteristics are: 1. a water vascular system with tube feet (instead of blood they use water) 2. pentamerous radial symmetry (seastars, sea cucumbers, urchins even sand dollars are divided into 5 parts. 3. calcium carbonate ossicles (echinoderm means spiny skin) 4. mutable connective tissue (why seastars become rigid when you hold them) BACK TO ECHINODERM INDEX OR ANSWER FILE Sea Cucumber Reproduction – received on from Kornelia in Hungary Q: How doe
