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Invertebrates
Representatives of most invertebrate phyla are visible in the aquarium.
Phylum: CNIDARIA
Look out for the sea anemones, corals and jellies (jellyfish). They all have hollow, sac-like bodies with one opening, the mouth. A ring of tentacles that have stinging cells surrounds the mouth. These stinging cells are used to sting the prey, which can then be pulled into the mouth. The corals are also cnidarians except that they live inside a hard coral skeleton that they produce. Many of them live together in large groups, and are famous for the formation of huge coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian Coast.Phylum: ANNELIDA (segmented worms)
If you look very carefully in the Coral Gardens you might see a fan worm with its feathery tentacles sticking out of its tube. The fan worm is a worm, similar to the earthworm; however, it does not move around and builds itself a tube from which it sends out tentacles to collect food and for respiration. The bristle worms have hundreds of tiny feet for crawling around. Most bristle worms are scavengers and can bite!Phylum: ARTHROPODA (jointed limbs)
The rock lobster and crab are related to the insects such as locusts, beetles and flies, which we all know. The crabs and rock lobsters, however, belong to a sub group called the Crustaceans. They have a hard outer skeleton for protection, and have jointed legs for locomotion. The outer skeleton cannot stretch or grow as the animal grows, so before the animal can increase in size, it must climb out of its shell. This is called moulting. After moulting its shell is very soft and the animal must grow very quickly before the outer shell hardens again. These animals are very popular food items and they are protected by regulations that make sure that people do not over-exploit them (collect too many).Phylum: MOLLUSCA
The many types of shells, the octopus and the cuttlefish are all members of the mollusc family. You probably know about the garden snail, which is also a mollusc. These animals all have a soft body and are often protected by a hard shell. The octopus and the cuttlefish also have a soft body but they do not have an external shell. They have very good eyesight and are able to quickly change their colour or swim away, to avoid their predators.Phylum: ECHINODERMATA
Echinoderms are very interesting animals. This group includes the sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and the brittle stars. All of these animals have rough skins and bodies divided into five. Rows of little tube feet stick out of their skin for locomotion. Look carefully at the sea stars on the glass and you will be able to see the tube feet. The sea urchins have many sharp spines covering their round bodies. When the animal dies the spines fall off leaving the test or shell. You may know these as the 'sea eggs' or 'sea pumpkins' often picked up on the beach.
