Cnidarian Project
Anthony Hand
Illini Bluffs High School A cnidarian is an animal, therefore classified in the kingdom of Animalia, from the phylum Cnidaria. They are all classified as invertebrate which means they do not have a backbone. At some point in their lives they are a polyp and a medusa. They are all radially symmetric, and can either live in large colonies or on their own. While most Cnidarians live in the water, I have chosen one that lives only in the larval stage underwater. It is called the Velella, also known as a Sail by Wind, and it tends to float atop the water instead. The velella is different from most cnidarians in the way that it floats. It is sometimes thought of as being a mini “portuguese man-of-war,” but this description is incorrect because the “man-of-war” is actually a colony of cnidarians while the velella is a single polyp. Like most cnidarians, it has radial symmetry, which means that no matter which way you cut it in half, when looking from the top, you should get two equal pieces. The velella’s movement is dictated by pre-determined sails, that grow on top of them, which catch
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Its method of movement is also unlike any other because it is completely dependent on the wind, and nothing else, but this method of movement will usually end in tragedy when the velella gets stranded on a beach where it will meet its end. With all that is known about this creature, it is difficult to be confident of its identity. It seems that this animal is constantly reclassified as something else. What can be said of this cnidarian is that future research is needed in order to gain a better understanding of how it