Phoronids are found in all oceans and seas, except the Antarctic Ocean.
Phoronids eat algae (AL-jee), small animal larvae (LAR-vee), and other plankton floating in the water.
Phoronids do not impact people or their activities.
No species is considered threatened or endangered.
Phoronids (for-OH-nihds) are long, thin, wormlike animals that live inside slender tubes that they make with their own bodies. When relaxed, adults normally measure up to 18 inches (450 millimeters), but some phoronids can extend their bodies nearly five times that length. Their body thickness measures 0.006 to 0.2 inches (0.15 to 5 millimeters). There is no distinct head. The slitlike mouth is co…
Phoronids have extremely flexible bodies. They will quickly direct their lophophores to take full advantage of food-carrying ocean currents. Tiny bristles, or cilia (SIH-lee-uh), on their lophophores help carry bits of food trapped by sticky mucous on the tentacles down special grooves all the way to the mouth. They are also quick to respond to danger and will withdraw inside their tubes when they…
Physical characteristics: Fully stretched out, these flesh-colored or clear-bodied phoronids may reach a length of 5 inches (120 millimeters) and are 0.02 to 0.08 inches (0.5 to 2 millimeters) thick. The lophophore sometimes is clear and has white spots. The lophophore is horseshoe-shaped, or coiled with a single spiral, and has as many as 230 tentacles. Each tentacle is 0.08 to 0.2 inches (2 to 5…
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