Echinoderms For Childs | Learn all about the phylum of starfish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers!

You may not familiar with the word echinoderm, but you would probably recognize some of them if you saw them! The word comes from Latin and means spiny skin. (But some echinoderms have more bumpy than spiny skin, to be fair.) In this video for kids, you'll learn some interesting facts about the phylum Echinodermata and the animals that belong to it.

Have you ever seen or touched a starfish? Starfish, which have that iconic bumpy skin, are echinoderms, as are sea cucumbers and sea urchins. They look pretty dissimilar, but they have quite a bit in common. For instance, all echinoderms can only live in the ocean and are invertebrates, so they don't have a backbone. They also all have radial symmetry, which means you can divide their bodies into five identical pieces. In comparison, humans have bilateral symmetry, meaning two identical halves.

The underside of an echinoderm reveals tube feet, part of their water vascular system. This system is a network of fluid-filled canals that extend along each of the five body regions. Tube feet help the animal move, eat, and even breathe. And these cool feet are how echinoderms stick to the ocean floor or to the side of an aquarium.

Echinoderm
Phylum Echinodermata
Spiny skin
Starfish
Sea cucumbers
Sea urchins
Radial symmetry
Invertebrates
Water vascular system
Tube feet
Ocean animals
Marine life
Bumpy skin
No backbone
Ocean floor
Fluid-filled canals