Cnidarians

Fact file

Cnidarians Proper name: Phylum Cnidaria (ni-dairy-ah)
Examples: Corals, sea anemones, jelly fish

Numbers of species: About 9,000
Where they are found: In the oceans and in freshwater

Description: There are many different types of cnidarian, but most have a ring of tentacles surrounding their mouth - the tentacles are used to pass food to the mouth of the animal.

Need to know: Cnidarians have stinging cells (called nematocysts) that help them to catch their prey.

Find out more about cnidarians
Find out more about fossil corals

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