Animals that live on the surface of the seafloor or other substrates rather than burrowing into them.
From Greek 'epi' (upon) + 'fauna' (animals). The term combines the prefix meaning 'on top of' with the Latin word for animal life, reflecting organisms that live epifaunally rather than infaunally (buried).
Epifauna are like the apartment dwellers of the ocean floor, choosing to live on the surface where starfish, sea cucumbers, and crustaceans hang out, while infauna are the basement apartment folks burrowing below—this distinction helps scientists understand entire ecosystem structures.
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