The EPIC Zoo

The EPIC ZooBy: Eric Guldan Honors Biology 4th HourMapAquatic WingHere you will findfinger sponge, fire coral, prickly cockle, sea cucumber, and lionfishTiny RoomHere you will findpork tapeworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, and acrocirrus validusGrasslandsHere you will findyellow-winged darter dragonfly, Panamanian golden frog, California red-sided garter snake, hoopoe, and fennec foxPoriferaOur featured porifera is the finger sponge.Like most porifera, the finger sponge has pores, filter feeds, and reproduces both sexually and asexually.Fun Fact: is that the finger sponge contains two germ layersendoderm and ectoderm.The finger sponge can be found in he Aquatic Wing (see map)

CnidarianThe Epic Zoo only contains the most epic Cnidarianthe fire coralThe fire coral has a sting that leaves an epic (but painful) itchy rash on human skinFun Fact: despite the name, the fire coral is not technically coral!A cnidarian (which literally means stinging creature) is part of one of four groups of cnidarians Anthozoa, Cubozoa, Hydrozoa, or ScyphozoaCnidarians typically live in big colonies or solitary, have radial symmetry, and live in marine enviromentsYou can find me in the Aquatic Wing along with the finger sponge

PlatyhelminthesPlatyhelmeinthes, also know more commonly as flatworms, are defined by bilateral symmetry, soft bodies, and a simple nervous systemThey do not have circulatory or respiratory systemsWe house the pork tapeworm, which has four suckers and two rows of hooksThese suckers and hooks are used to attach itself to the intestine wall of its host (vertebrate)You can find me in the aquatic wing along with the fire coral

NematodaOur nematoda is the Ascaris lumbricoidesa parasite to humansVarying from 15 to 35 cm in length, this nematoda is like is family because it has a nervous system, lives almost anywhere and eats almost anythingDoes not have blood (or circulatory system)You can find this creeper in the Tiny Room

AnnelidaAnnelida are bilaterally symmetrical, have a body wall (their body is covered with an external cuticle), nervous system with a ventral nerve chordOur particular annelida is the Acrocirrus validus, a mini squid-like annelidaThe Acrocirrus validus is provided with an aquatic environment in the Tiny Room

ArthropodaThe wonderful arthropoda we are lucky enough to have here is the yellow-winged darter dragonflyArthropoda are classified by their exoskeletons (they are invertebrates), segmented bodies, and six or more legsFun fact: 80% of all the animals in the world are arthropods

MolluscaThe prickly cockle is the mollusca of this zooMollusca have hard outer shells, open circulation system, and a rasp tongue (or a radula)

EchinodermataEchinodermata are classified by their complete digestive systems, tube feet, sexual reproduction, and high regeneration powerOur Echinodermata is the sea cucumberFun Fact: the adults are radially symmetrical while the larvae are bilaterally symmetrical

Chordata-FishThe wonderful fish we have is the lionfishFish are all similar in the likes that they are cold-blooded, finned, and vertebratesThe lionfish has many fins stemming from its side

Cordata-AmphibiansAmphibians are defined as a cold-blooded vertebrate with an aquatic gill-breathing phase followed by a terrestrial adult stage with lungsOur amphibian is a Panamanian golden frogFun Fact: frogs, a common amphibian, eat their own skin after shedding it

Chordata-ReptilesAll reptiles have a backbone, are cold-blooded, and have dry scaly skin.Our reptile is a California red-sided garter snakeEasily seen and recognized by its bright colors, this snake can be found in our Grasslands here at the zoo

Chordata-BirdsThe bird we have here at the Epic Zoo is the hoopoe Birds are identified as warm-blooded vertebrates that have wings and lay eggs

Chordata-MammalsOur featured mammal is the fennec fox, a cute (but epic) little animalMammal is defined as a warm-blooded vertebrate animal with hair/fur, secretes mild (females), and (most of the time) birth without eggsFun Fact: The foxs ears can be up to half the length of its body!

Bonus Animal of the Week!The bonus animal of the week is theGERENUK!The gerenuk is a gazelle-like creature that stands on its hind legs to get food

Thank You For Coming!We hope you enjoyed your visit to

The EPIC Zoo Works Citedhttp://www.dscc.edu/bwilliams/biology%201120/biol_1120_lab_animalshttp://www.oceanicresearch.org/education/wonders/cnidarian.htmlhttp://www.darwinsgalapagos.com/animals/platyhelminthes_flatworms.htmhttp://www.darwinsgalapagos.com/animals/nematoda_roundworms.htmhttp://faculty.college-prep.org/~bernie/sciproject/project/Kingdoms/Animal%20Kingdom%20-%205/Local%20copy/classification/annelida.htmlhttp://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-arthropods.htmlhttp://www.molluscs.at/mollusca/index.html?/mollusca/main.htmlhttp://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-iii/animal-kingdom/phylum-echinodermata.php#http://www.pxleyes.com/blog/2013/01/exotic-fish-underwater-photography/http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/SpeciesList.aspx?Group=Amphibianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snakehttp://www.oddee.com/item_98487.aspxhttp://awesomeanimals.tripod.com/mammals.htmwww.google.com