Placozoans are very small, simple animals that are surrounded in cilia, can reproduce sexually, are difficult to study in the wild, eat through phagocytosis, and glide around on "false feet."
Take a look at this video to learn a bit about the history of the phylum Placozoa and to learn more about how they move.
Phylum Placozoa was discovered and named in the 1880’s by a German scientist named Franz Eilhard Schulze. He noticed them on the walls of an aquarium. The name name Placozoa came from the Greek word for "Flat Animal" The only known species of Placozoa around today is the Trichoplax adhaerens. T. adhaerens came from Greek words for "hairy plate that sticks".
The Placazoa have an asymmetrical body plan, a small body size usually only 2 or 3 millimeters in diameter and 20 micrometers thick, and live in marine habitats.
Like the amoeba shown here, Placazoa “glide” around. One main difference between the amoeba shown and Placazoa is that the T. adhaerens have cilia that act like little feet.
Like the amoeba shown here, the Placozoa utilizes phagocytosis, or the process of engulfing a solid particle for consumption. In other words, the placozoa surrounds the particle or organism and eats it.
Little is known of this creature. It has never been found in the wild and only ever studied in an aquarium.
Question
If this piece of cake represents a cross section of a T. adhaerens, which part of the cake is responsible for the movement of the animal?
