A tiny, transparent marine animal with a tadpole-like body that lives in ocean plankton and builds a special mucus house for filtering food.
From Latin appendicula (small appendage) + -arian (one who belongs to). Named for the appendage-like structures on these creatures, which are actually degenerate versions of a notochord.
Appendicularians are nature's tiny architects—they build and abandon mucus houses the size of a marble several times a day, creating tons of marine snow that feeds the deep ocean. Scientists study them to understand how tiny creatures can drastically affect global ocean chemistry.
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