When disturbed they can swim for a considerable period of time by throwing the sides of their body into undulating waves.īelow is a diagram of a Flatworm which shows the eyespots, Pharynx and mouth.īelow are a few more details about the anatomy of a Flatworm. Flatworms can quickly glide along the bottom by using the fine hairlike cilia which cover their body. Although very thin and delicate, flatworms are active carnivores and scavengers, using their proboscis to feed on dead or injured animals and colonial animals such as bryozoans and soft-corals. Flatworms are not related to sea slugs or other molluscs. Most species occur in all major habitats and are parasites of other animals feeding mostly on small animals and other smaller life forms.įlatworms are found in marine and fresh water. Instead, they have what are called ‘Protonephridial excretory organs’.įlatworms reproduce as hermaphrodites. Flatworms possess a ‘blind gut’, they have a mouth but no opening at the lower end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste is eliminated from the body. Their bodies have 3 layers of tissues with organs and organelles however, they contain no internal cavity. Flat Worm Characteristicsįlatworms are bilaterally symmetrical and dorsoventrally flattened meaning ‘they look like a ribbon’. The tapeworm then eats off the host and is dangerous to the host as it grows and consumes more of the host and its food. The tapeworm can get into a persons digestive tract and grow to enormous lengths. One of the best known flatworms is the tapeworm. A parasite lives off another living thing called a host and can be harmful. Flatworms are found many places and can be free living or parasitic. There are about 20,000 species in this group. Image Source Flat Worms (Phylum Platyhelminthes)įlatworms are the simplest of the worm groups.
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