Echinoderm Fun Facts:
- Echinoderms include sea stars, brittle and basket stars, sea urchins and sand dollars and sea cucumbers.
- They have been around for around 500 million years.
- Their name comes from Greek and means urchin and skin. They all have spines- some larger and sharper than others.
- Most Echinoderms have radial symmetry- body parts are arranged around a central point.
- Echinoderms do not have blood- they use water to circulate throughout their body. Water also helps them move their tube feet which they use for locomotion.
- Some Echinoderms can regenerate their body parts. Sea stars are known for regrowing arms.
We’ll meet some neat Echinoderms this summer at camp? Do you have a favorite? We love sea stars and sand dollars in particular.