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List 5 animal phyla introduced in your book and briefly describe the characteristics of each.

User Orjanto
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You did not indicate the different phyla that were introduced in your book so instead, here are the 10 phyla of the Kingdom ANIMALIA:

1. Phylum Porifera: More commonly known as sponges.

- Also known as sponges, their mainly marine animals, or they live in the water.

-They have porous bodies and these pores allow them to filter feed. Adults are considered as sessile feeders, which means their bodies are attached to shells or rocks as they feed.
-They are asymmetrical in shape, which basically means that they have no definite shape.
-They reproduce sexually and asexually.
-Known to be hermaphrodites.

2. Phylum -Coelenterata or Cnidaria
- They are mostly aquatic, considered to be marine animals.
- They can be sessile or can swim freely.
- They are radially symmetrical in shape. They have two basic body forms, the polyp and medusa.
- They have stinging capsules on their tentacles and or the body.
- Digestion can be done extracellular and intracellular.
- They go through two types of reproduction, sexually and asexually.

3. Phylum Ctenophora: More commonly known as sea walnuts.
- They are marine animals.
- They are radially symmetrical.
- Digests intracellularly and extracellularly.
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Known for their bioluminescence, or they emit light.
- They reproduce sexually and externally.

4. Phylum Platyhelminthes: Also known as flatworms.
- They are usually found in animals, which make them endoparasites.
- They are bilaterally symmetrical, which means that they are the same on both sides. They are also flat dorso-ventrally.
- They fertilize internally.
- Many of these worms can regenerate.

5. Phylum Aschelminthes: Also known as roundworms.
- They can live in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They can also be parasitic, found in both plants in animals.
- Their shape is bilaterally symmetrical. Cross-section of these worms show a circular shape, thus the name.
- They fertilize internally.

6. Phylum Annelida:
- They can live in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They can also be parasitic.
- They are known for their segmented body surfaces.
- They reproduce sexually.
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They are bilaterally symmetrical.
- They have longitudinal and circular muscles that help them move around.

7. Phylum Arthropoda
- Among all the phyla in Kingdom Animalia, this is the largest.
-This phylum includes insects.
- Known for their jointed appendages.
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They have segmented bodies, consisting of a head, thorax and abdomen.
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They have exoskeletons.
- They are bilaterally symmetrical.
- They fertilize internally.

8. Phylum Mollusca

- They live in aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
- They are bilaterally symmetrical.
- Their bodies are usually have a calcareous shell. It is unsegmented and has a head, muscular foot and a visceral hump that has a mantle that is soft and spongy.

9. Phylum Echinodermata
- They have endoskeletons, known for their spiny bodies.
- They are marine animals.
-As adults, they are radially symmetrical but as larvae they are bilaterally symmetrical.
- They have a complete digestive tract.
- They reproduce sexually and externally.
- They have a water vascular system, which makes them distinct from the other phyla. It helps them transport food, move and breath.

10. Phylum Hemichordata
- This used to be considered as a sub-phylum but is now a separate phylum.
- The members are a small group of worm-like marine animals but they have organ systems.
- They are bilaterally symmetrical.
- They have cylindrical bodies with proboscis, a collar and a long trunk in their fronts.
- Fertilization is external.

11. Phylum Chordata
- The animals under this phylum are characterized by the presence of a dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal gill slits and a notochord (This is a flexible, skeletal rod that supports the body)
- They are bilaterally symmetrical.
- They have a closed circulatory system.

Please take note that this is only some of their many characteristics, but the ones listed are most of the well-known ones about each phylum. Good luck and hope you do well.

User Satya P
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