What are Priapulida?
Q: What are Priapulida?
A: Priapulida are a phylum of marine worms.
Q: What is the meaning of their name?
A: Their name refers to their extensible spiny proboscis, which, in some species, may have a shape similar to that of a human penis.
Q: Where do they live?
A: They live in the mud, which they eat, in comparatively shallow waters up to 90 metres (300 ft).
Q: What are their nearest relatives?
A: Their nearest relatives are probably Kinorhyncha and Loricifera with which they constitute the taxon Scalidophora.
Q: What do they feed on?
A: They feed on slow-moving invertebrates, such as polychaete worms.
Q: How many known living species of priapulid worms are there?
A: There are only sixteen known living species of priapulid worms.
Q: What is the significance of Priapulid fossils?
A: Priapulid fossils are known at least as far back as the Middle Cambrian. They were probably major predators of the Cambrian period.
