The term "marine invertebrates" is used to describe animals found in a marine environment which are invertebrates: lacking a notochord. In order to protect themselves, they may have evolved a shell or a hard exoskeleton, but this is not always the case.
As on land and in the air, invertebrates make up a huge portion of all life in the sea. Invertebrate sea life includes:
- Bryozoa, also known as moss animals or sea mats;
- Cnidaria, such as jellyfish, sea anemones and corals;
- Crustaceans, such a such as lobsters, crabs, shrimp, crayfish and barnacles;
- Ctenophora, also known as comb jellies;
- Polychaetes (sea worms), including flatworms, ribbon worms, annelids, Sipuncula, Echiura, Chaetognatha, and the phoronids;
- Echinoderms, including sea stars, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, and crinoids;
- Molluscs, including shellfish, squid, octopus;
- Sponges;
- Tunicates, also known as sea squirts.
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