🐚 Reef Rookies
What are invertebrates?
Answer: Animals that do not have a backbone.
Fun Fact: About 97% of all animal species are invertebrates!
What are crustaceans?
Answer: Crabs, shrimp, and lobsters belong to this group.
Fun Fact: Crustaceans have hard exoskeletons that they shed as they grow.
What is Echinodermata?
Answer: Sea stars belong to this phylum.
Fun Fact: "Echinoderm" means "spiny skin."
What is an octopus?
Answer: This cephalopod has eight arms.
Fun Fact: Octopuses have three hearts!
What is NOAA?
Answer: The federal agency that helps manage and protect ocean resources.
Fun Fact: NOAA stands for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
What are cnidarians?
Answer: The marine invertebrate group that includes jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones.
Fun Fact: Cnidarians use tiny stinging cells called nematocysts to catch prey.
What is an exoskeleton?
Answer: The hard outer covering of a crab.
Fun Fact: Crabs must molt to get larger.
What are tube feet?
Answer: The tiny structures sea stars use for movement.
Fun Fact: Tube feet work using water pressure.
What is a radula?
Answer: The structure many mollusks use to scrape food.
Fun Fact: A radula works like a tiny conveyor belt of teeth.
What is the Endangered Species Act?
Answer: This law protects endangered marine species.
Fun Fact: It helps protect species such as certain corals and sea turtles.
What is Porifera?
Answer: Animals like sponges belong to this phylum.
Fun Fact: A sponge can filter thousands of gallons of water each day.
What is a crab?
Answer: This crustacean is famous for walking sideways.
Fun Fact: Not all crabs walk sideways, but many do!
What is a sea urchin?
Answer: An echinoderm known for its long spines.
Fun Fact: Sea urchins use tube feet to move and cling to rocks.
What is a squid?
Answer: The intelligent cephalopod that squirts ink to escape predators.
Fun Fact: Squid ink creates a cloud to confuse predators.
What is plastic pollution?
Answer: Human-produced waste that poses a major threat to marine life.
Fun Fact: Millions of tons of plastic enter oceans every year.
What are mollusks?
Answer: These animals have soft bodies and often have shells.
Fun Fact: Mollusks include clams, oysters, snails, squid, and octopuses.
What is the Japanese Spider Crab?
Answer: The largest living crustacean in the world.
Fun Fact: Its leg span can reach nearly 12 feet.
What is the water vascular system?
Answer: The body system that powers echinoderm movement.
Fun Fact: This system is unique to echinoderms.
What is an octopus?
Answer: This marine invertebrate can change color almost instantly.
Fun Fact: Special skin cells called chromatophores allow color changes.
What are coral reefs?
Answer: These underwater ecosystems are built by tiny marine invertebrates called coral polyps.
Fun Fact: Coral reefs support about 25% of all marine life.
What is a backbone?
Answer: The body part marine invertebrates do NOT have.
Fun Fact: Sharks and fish are vertebrates, but octopuses and crabs are not!
What is molting?
Answer: The process of shedding an exoskeleton.
Fun Fact: A newly molted crab is soft and vulnerable until its shell hardens.
What is regeneration?
Answer: A sea star's ability to regrow a lost arm.
Fun Fact: Some sea stars can regrow multiple arms after an injury.
What is the Giant Squid?
Answer: The largest invertebrate on Earth.
Fun Fact: Giant squids can grow over 40 feet long!
Name the five major marine invertebrate groups?
Answer: They are Porifera (sponges), Cnidarians, Mollusks, Arthropods/Crustaceans, and Echinoderms?
Fun Fact: Together, these groups represent most of the animal diversity found in the ocean!