What is an brachiopoda?

1. What is the meaning of Brachiopoda?
2. What type of organism is a brachiopod?
3. What are brachiopods and what do they look like?
4. How are brachiopods preserved?
5. How can you identify a brachiopod?
6. What are brachiopod shells made of?
7. What color are brachiopods?
8. What are Brachiopod fossils?
9. Are brachiopods solitary?
10. What is pedicle Brachiopod?
11. Are brachiopods shellfish?
12. Are brachiopod fossils valuable?
13. Where are brachiopods found today?

What is the meaning of Brachiopoda?

Brachiopods (/ˈbrækioʊˌpɒd/), phylum Brachiopoda, are a group of lophotrochozoan animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs.

What type of organism is a brachiopod?

Brachiopods are marine animals belonging to their own phylum of the animal kingdom, Brachiopoda. Although relatively rare, modern brachiopods occupy a variety of seabed habitats ranging from the tropics to the cold waters of the Arctic and, especially, the Antarctic.

What are brachiopods and what do they look like?

Brachiopods are an ancient group of organisms, at least 600 million years old. They might just look like clams, but they are not even closely related. Instead of being horizontally symmetrical along their hinge, like clams and other bivalves, they are vertically symmetrical, cut down the middle of their shell.

How are brachiopods preserved?

Brachiopod fossils are commonly preserved in three main ways: Unaltered remains, internal molds, or external molds (learn more about fossil preservation here). ... Internal molds preserve the inside of the shell including internal supports, hinge characteristics, and sometimes impressions of soft tissues.

How can you identify a brachiopod?

Other shell features are useful for identifying brachiopods. A sulcus (a groove-like depression) is present on many brachiopod shells, and a fold (a raised ridge) can be found on the opposite valve. Costae are elevated ribs on the shell. Growth lines are concentric rings representing successive periods of growth.

What are brachiopod shells made of?

Rhynchonelliform brachiopods have shells made calcium carbonate and interlocking pegs (teeth) and sockets that form a hinge between the valves.

What color are brachiopods?

The articulate-brachiopod shell is typified by Waltonia, which is small (about 2 cm [³/₄ inch]) and red in colour, with a smooth or slightly ridged shell. This type of shell is more highly specialized than that of most inarticulate species and is composed of three layers.

What are Brachiopod fossils?

Brachiopods (brack'-i-oh-pods) are marine animals with two shells, an upper one and a lower one. ... The oldest fossil brachiopods are found in Cambrian rocks, which are over 500 million years old. The animals first became abundant in Ordovician time and remained so throughout the Paleozoic Era.

Are brachiopods solitary?

Brachiopods are shelled, solitary marine organisms that range from the Cambrian to recent times. They resemble bivalve mollusks in having two valves (shells). ... Brachiopod shells are both unlike and unequal. Brachiopods have a larger ventral shell (pedicle valve) and a smaller dorsal shell (brachial valve).

What is pedicle Brachiopod?

Brachiopods have two shells, called valves, which house the creature inside. Through a hole in one of the valves, known as the pedicle foramen, extends a fleshy ligament called the pedicle. The pedicle is used by the brachiopod to attach itself to the sea floor.

Are brachiopods shellfish?

Brachiopods are shellfish. There are a few brachiopod still surviving, but they used to be common. The name is derived from bracchium + poda (Latin) meaning 'arm foot'. A brachiopod attaches itself to a rock using a foot or pedicle.

Are brachiopod fossils valuable?

Because brachiopods were so plentiful during the Paleozoic Era they are common fossils. So generally they are not worth very much. Some species are rare though and so can be worth a good price.

Where are brachiopods found today?

Brachiopods live on the ocean floor. They have been found living in a wide range of water depths from very shallow waters of rocky shorelines to ocean floor three and a half miles beneath the ocean surface. They are known from many places, ranging from the warm tropical waters of the Caribbean to cold Antarctic seas.