Phylum Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa

Devonian.  Columbus Formation.  With about 6,000 species, Class Anthozoa is the largest class of cnidarians. Anthozoans are known as flower animals for their lustrous, rainbow-like colors and include animals such as the sea anemone, coral, sea fan, and sea pen. Cnidarians are characterized by the presence of three tissue layers, an outer protective epidermis, a middle layer called the mesoglea, and an inner layer called the gastrodermis, whose function is primarily digestive.
Abstract/Description: Devonian. Columbus Formation. With about 6,000 species, Class Anthozoa is the largest class of cnidarians. Anthozoans are known as flower animals for their lustrous, rainbow-like colors and include animals such as the sea anemone, coral, sea fan, and sea pen. Cnidarians are characterized by the presence of three tissue layers, an outer protective epidermis, a middle layer called the mesoglea, and an inner layer called the gastrodermis, whose function is primarily digestive.
Subject(s): Withlacoochee, FL, United States
environmental sciences