Day 6, great success. Today we started focusing in depth on organisms of the ocean. In particular, invertebrates such as echinoderms, sponges, mollusks, cnidarians, and worms. After we went and dissected a starfish and a squid, which I found to be both interesting and enjoyable.
Out of the many things I learned today there were three main facts that stuck out to me. The first was over, scyphozoans, a type of cnidarian. Instead of having a brain they have have photo and chemo receptors, meaning that they can sense chemicals and light.
Next, I learned that sea cucumbers have a specialized body unit that will allow them to expel organs under stimulation, such as predator attacks. They can eventually regrow them in a matter of weeks.
Finally, I learned that cephalopods are the smartest of invertabrates. They have a larger and a more developed brain and their nervous system is more complex.
The disection went great. At first many of us were confused and puzzled where to start. But after time we started to catch on and follow what some were doing. For the squid disection, I discovered my squid had been pregnant because it was filled with eggs which was interesting. I learned more over the anatomy of these invertebrates thanks to the dissection.
