Most forage fish are filter feeders. For example, the Atlantic menhaden, a type of herring, lives on plankton caught in … See more

Like all arthropods, crustaceans are ecdysozoans, a clade without cilia. Cilia play an important role for many filter feeding animals, but because crustaceans don't have them, they need to use modified extremities … See more

The baleen whales (Mysticeti), one of two suborders of the Cetacea (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), are characterized by having baleen plates for filtering food from water, rather than teeth. This distinguishes them from t… See more

Bivalves are aquatic molluscs which have two-part shells. Typically both shells (or valves) are symmetrical along the hinge line. The class has 30,000 species, including scallops, clams, oysters and mussels. Most bivalves ar… See more

Sponges have no true circulatory system; instead, they create a water current which is used for circulation. Dissolved gases are brought to cells and enter the cells via simple diffusion. Metabolic wastes are also transferred … See more

The moon jellyfish has a grid of fibres which are slowly pulled through the water. The motion is so slow that copepods cannot sense it and do not react with an escape response.
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Tunicates, such as ascidians, salps and sea squirts, are chordates which form a sister group to the vertebrates. Nearly all tunicates are suspension feeders, capturing planktonic particles by filtering sea water through the… See more