How many species of brachiopods are there?

There are some 30,000 fossil brachiopod species known, but only around 385 are alive today. They are found in very cold water, in polar regions or in the deep sea, and are rarely seen.

What are the two types of brachiopods?

All but a few brachiopods fall into two basic types, the rhynchonelliform (or articulate) brachiopods and the lingulate (or inarticulate) brachiopods. Rhynchonelliform brachiopods have shells made calcium carbonate and interlocking pegs (teeth) and sockets that form a hinge between the valves.

What are brachiopods classified?

Brachiopods (/ˈbrækioʊˌpɒd/), phylum Brachiopoda, are a phylum of trochozoan animals that have hard “valves” (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs.

Is Brachiopoda species?

There are about 300 living species of brachiopods. Depsite their relative obscurity today, brachiopods have a long and rich paleontological history. During the Paleozoic era, they were extremely abundant. They diversified into a number of different morphologies and even participated in the build-up of ancient reefs.

What is a modern brachiopod?

Brachiopods are marine animals belonging to their own phylum of the animal kingdom, Brachiopoda. Although relatively rare, modern brachiopods occupy a variety of seabed habitats ranging from the tropics to the cold waters of the Arctic and, especially, the Antarctic.

What is the difference between a brachiopod and a bivalve?

Bivalves are often described as having left and right valves. Brachiopods have a plane of symmetry that cuts across the two valves. This you can think of if someone to cut your body in half down the middle, each side would have an eye, arm, and leg that matches the other side.

What is the scientific name for brachiopods?

BrachiopodaBrachiopod / Scientific name

Are scallops brachiopods?

Scallops are common marine bivalves in much of the fossil record and in the modern oceans. Individual bivalve shells, unlike brachiopod shells, are asymmetrical. Scallop shells sometimes approach bilateral symmetry, but the subtriangular, wing-like auricles along the hingeline will still display asymmetry.

What is the difference between a clam and a brachiopod?

Clam valves are usually mirror images of each other. The valves are symmetrical along a plane through the hinge. In contrast, brachiopod valves are dissimilar to each other. They are symmetrical along the midline of the valves perpendicular to the hinge.