Polyp (zoology)

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/polyp-zoology

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the diet?Carnivore; primarily zooplankton, small invertebrates, and fish larvae, captured using nematocysts
2. What is a polyp in the animal world?A polyp is a tiny sea creature that sticks to rocks or other surfaces. It has a tube‑shaped body, a mouth at the top, and many tentacles around it.
3. How do polyps live and grow?Polyps stay attached to a surface and can make more polyps by budding. Some also reproduce sexually to create free‑swimming medusae.

Sessile: An organism that is fixed in one place and unable to move freely.
Cnidocytes: Specialized cells containing nematocysts, used for prey capture and defense in cnidarians.
Nematocysts: Microscopic, barbed, and often venomous coiled threads discharged from cnidocytes.
Ecosystem Engineers: Organisms that create, modify, or maintain habitats, significantly influencing biodiversity.