The sea is the home of a large group of animals that really aren’t much
more than a stomach with tentacles. These animals are called
coelenterates (sih [lehn]{.smallcaps} tuh rayts). The name comes from
two Greek words that mean “hollow intestine.”
You have probably heard of some of these creatures. The well-known
jellyfish is a coelenterate. So are the little creatures that live in
coral reefs. And so is the sea anemone (uh [nehm]{.smallcaps} uh nee),
an animal that looks like a bunch of flowers.
There are about nine thousand different kinds of these creatures. Some
kinds constantly move through the water. Others sit on the sea bottom
and hardly ever move. Some kinds live alone and some kinds live in large
communities.
All coelenterates use their tentacles to catch their food. Many kinds
have tentacles that can shoot out tiny, poisonous, dartlike threads. The
poison paralyzes the prey. Then the tentacles carry the helpless prey to
the coelenterate’s mouth.
giant jellyfish