Turbellarians: Turbellaria - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Freshwater Planarian (dugesia Tigrina): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, TURBELLARIANS AND PEOPLE, CONSERVATION STATUS
regrowth world
Turbellarians live all over the world.
The regrowth abilities of turbellarians have been studied extensively by scientists who want to understand healing and cell regrowth in humans. Several species of turbellarians kill food animals such as oysters, and a few species cause disease in ornamental fishes used in aquariums.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists one species of turbellarians as Extinct, or no longer in existence.
Additional Topics
Turbellarians (ter-buh-LAIR-ee-uhns) are free-living flatworms. Free-living means they are not parasites (PAIR-uh-sites), which are animals or plants that live on or in other animals or plants without helping them and usually harming them. Turbellarians have three tissue layers and bilateral symmetry (bye-LAT-er-uhl SIH-muh-tree), meaning the right and left halves of the body match each other. The…
Some species of turbellarians secrete mucus that may contain poisonous or narcotic chemicals that slow or entangle prey. Turbellarians use a number of behaviors that prevent them from straying beyond their normal habitats and to keep themselves adjusted to their surroundings. For example, most turbellarians move toward something touching their belly and away from something touching their back. Thi…
Physical characteristics: The body of the freshwater planarian is lance shaped with ear-shaped structures on each side of the head. These worms are light to dark brown, and some forms have a stripe down the center of the back. This worm has midline, light spots on a dark background or dark spots on a light background. The large mouth is in the middle of the body. Geographic range: Freshwater plana…
Physical characteristics: Adults of the species Notoplana acticola (abbreviated as N. acticola) are 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 6 centimeters) long. They are tan or pale gray with darker markings along the center. The body usually is widest toward the front but is tapered at both ends. There are tentacle-like eyelike structures in rounded clusters with scattered ones in front of, behind, and sometimes b…
Physical characteristics: The body of an oyster leech is oval or disk shaped with retractable tentacles. There are three types of eyes. The throat is long and in the middle of the body. Each oyster leech has both male and female reproductive organs close to each other in the rear of the body. Although they are called leeches, oyster leeches are not in the same group as the more familiar blood-suck…
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