Brachiopods, phylum Brachiopoda, are marine animals that have hard valves (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, while the front can be opened for feeding or closed for protection.
Brachiopods, phylum Brachiopoda, are marine animals that have hard valves (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, while the front can be opened for feeding or closed for protection. One brachiopod species (Coptothyrus adamsi) may be a measure of environmental conditions around an oil terminal being built in Russia on the shore of the Sea of Japan. The word brachiopod is formed from the Ancient Greek words βραχίων (arm) and πούς (foot). They are often known as lamp shells, since the curved shells of the class Terebratulida look rather like pottery oil-lamps. Lifespans range from three to over thirty years. One brachiopod species (Coptothyrus adamsi) may be a measure of environmental conditions around an oil terminal being built in Russia on the shore of the Sea of Japan. Definition of BRACHIOPOD. : any of a phylum (Brachiopoda) of marine invertebrates with bivalve shells within which is a pair of arms bearing tentacles by which a current of water is made to bring microscopic food to the mouth —called also lampshell. — brachiopod adjective. See brachiopod defined for kids. ADVERTISEMENT. This structure, called the lophophore, is actually used for feeding and respiration and is one of the features common to all brachiopods. Another distinctive feature of all brachiopods is that their valves are bilaterally symmetrical--in other words, the right half is a mirror image of the left half. Humans also are bilaterally symmetrical. Brachiopods are shellfish. There are a few brachiopod still surviving, but they used to be common. The name is derived from bracchium + poda (Latin) meaning 'arm foot'. A brachiopod attaches itself to a rock using a foot or pedicle. It has arms to catch its food. In a typical brachiopod a stalk-like pedicle projects from an opening in one of the valves, known as the pedicle valve, attaching the animal to the seabed but clear of silt that would obstruct the opening. One brachiopod species (Coptothyrus adamsi) may be a measure of environmental conditions around an oil terminal being built in Russia on the shore of the Sea of Japan. Most bivalve mollusk shells, like clams, are mirror images of each other. Brachiopod shells are both unlike and unequal. Brachiopods have a larger ventral shell (pedicle valve) and a smaller dorsal shell (brachial valve). The symmetry of the brachiopod is through both shells instead of between shells as in mollusks.  Two specimens of the brachiopod genus Reticulatia, which has a concave top valve (left) and a concave bottom valve. These Pennsylvanian fossils are from the Americus Limestone Member of the Foraker Limestone in Greenwood County, Kansas. Another distinctive feature of all brachiopods is that their valves are bilaterally symmetrical--in other words, the right half is a mirror image of the left half. Humans also are bilaterally symmetrical. Each half of the brachiopod shell has a slightly different shape. Brachiopods feed by filtering tiny food particles from seawater. Most of the space inside the brachiopod shell is occupied by a special organ that acts as a water pumping and filtering device. Brachiopods do not move very much. Most are held to the bottom by a stalk. Some Silurian brachiopods lacked a stalk, had a flattened shell form, and rested freely on the seafloor Brachiopod shells come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes the bottom valve is convex like the top valve, but in many species the bottom valve is concave or occasionally conical. In some brachiopods (see photo below), the top valve is concave and the bottom is convex. Another distinctive feature of all brachiopods is that their valves are bilaterally symmetrical--in other words, the right half is a mirror image of the left half. Humans also are bilaterally symmetrical.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachiopod https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachiopod http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brachiopod http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Extension/fossils/brachiopod.html http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/fossils/brachiopod.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachiopod http://petrifiedwoodmuseum.org/SOBrachiopods.htm http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Extension/fossils/brachiopod.html http://www.uvm.edu/perkins/PGMWeb/Glossary/Brachiopods.htm http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Extension/fossils/brachiopod.html
what is a brachiopod