No-Brainer, Part 2: The Quick Guide on Marine Animals Who Get by Without Brains

  • Published25 Jan 2019
  • Reviewed25 Jan 2019
  • Author Levi Gadye
  • Source BrainFacts/SfN

Long before brains evolved, the earliest animals got by with far simpler arrangements of neurons. And they’re still getting by — modern-day jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones all lack brains and closely resemble their ancient ancestors.

Learn more about these brainless creatures that harken back to a simpler time.

 

For stories on even more brainless creatures take a look through No-Brainer Part 1.

CONTENT PROVIDED BY

BrainFacts/SfN

Katsuki, T., & Greenspan, R. J. (2013). Jellyfish nervous systems. Current Biology, 23(14). doi:10.1016/j.cub.2013.03.057

Nath, R. D., Bedbrook, C. N., Abrams, M. J., Basinger, T., Bois, J. S., Prober, D. A., . . . Goentoro, L. (2017). The Jellyfish Cassiopea Exhibits a Sleep-like State. Current Biology, 27(19). doi:10.1016/j.cub.2017.08.014

Ruppert, E.E.; Fox, R.S.; Barnes, R.D. (2004). Invertebrate Zoology (7th ed.). Cengage Learning. pp. 130–132. ISBN 978-81-315-0104-7.

Stat, M., Morris, E., & Gates, R. D. (2008). Functional diversity in coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(27), 9256-9261. doi:10.1073/pnas.0801328105

Chen, E., Stiefel, K. M., Sejnowski, T. J., & Bullock, T. H. (2008). Model of traveling waves in a coral nerve network. Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology, 194(2), 195-200. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-007-0305-z

Bardi, Juliana, & Marques, Antonio C.. (2007). Taxonomic redescription of the Portuguese man-of-war, Physalia physalis (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Siphonophorae, Cystonectae) from Brazil. Iheringia. Série Zoologia, 97(4), 425-433. https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0073-47212007000400011

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