Here are some interesting facts about Cnidarians.
- Jellyfish is a Chinese delicacy and is very common as an appetizer.
- Some of the chemcials produced by corals help us learn about anti-cancer drugs, and the disease itself.
- Some Cnidarians are the longest animals in the world, one of them that can stretch as long as 40m is the Praya dubia (see image right).
- Cnidarians can weigh up to several tonnes
- The Cnidaria are the oldest of the true metazoan phyla. A fossil (Hydrozoan) from South Australia called Ediacara is 700 million years old!
- There are four main classes of cnidarians:
- Anthrozoa (corals, sea anemones)
- Scyphozoa (jellyfish, siphonophores)
- Cubozoa (box jellyfish)
- Hydrozoa (various spectrums)
