Actinozoa

/ˌæktɪnoʊˈzoʊə/ noun

Definition

A group of marine animals that includes sea anemones, corals, and jellyfish, all characterized by body structures arranged in radial patterns with tentacles around a central mouth.

Etymology

From Greek 'aktis' (ray) + 'zoon' (animal). This is an older scientific classification term from 19th-century zoology.

Kelly Says

Actinozoa is basically the old-fashioned name for what scientists now call Cnidarians—all those gorgeous, symmetrical creatures like coral and sea anemones—and the name is perfect because they really are 'ray-animals' with their tentacles spreading out like spokes on a wheel!

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