Flatworm!!! (Emmy)

 

On our first full day in Peurto Penasco, the class visited the tide pools left behind when the ocean in front of CEDO pulled away. While visiting the tidepools we were on the hunt for many critters and other forms of life hiding between the rocks and in the pools of ocean water left behind. One of the most exciting finds was a flatworm! Everyone was very excited as we had just finished a lecture on flatworms the previous day and were amazed to see a real-life version of the infamous flat creature. 

We had just learned that the flatworm is a part of the phylum Platyhelminthes. One of their unique features is very similar to humans and that is a bilateral symmetry! This means that if the worm were cut in half vertically, it could fold over on itself perfectly and match just like humans can. The flatworm also has a brain and a central nervous system! These little guys can either be parasites or carnivores.

In the video attached, the worm is undulating in the water. This means that he is rolling his body in such a motion he can glide effortlessly through the ocean! His motions almost appear as an elaborate dance while wearing a black gown. 

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