Taxonomy Tales is a new series covering major categories of life on earth--from mollusks to cetaceans to marsupials, we will learn them all! This class explores the phylum "Cnidaria" (the C is silent), which includes many species of stunning animals including coral (yes, they are animals!), jellies, sea anemones, and their teeny counterparts, hydras. 

These animals are divided into the major groups:
1) Hydrozoa - hydras and siphonophores
2) Scyphozoa - true jellies
3) Cubozoa - box jellies
4) Anthrozoa - coral, sea anemones and relatives
(Myxozoa are not covered)

These may sound like challenging words! I do love to teach my students big words when scientifically appropriate, but in an approachable way. We will use the common names along the way so students do not get overwhelmed by scary-looking words.

We will also discuss individual species such as jewel anemones, sea pens, upside-down jellyfish, staghorn coral, and more (subject to change as I edit my classes frequently). For each group, we will compare and contrast the characteristics and lives of the animals it includes. Along the way, students will learn new vocabulary and ecological concepts that they can apply to other topics in zoology. 

This class is lecture-style with slides and photos, but highly interactive. Students are given the opportunity to ask and answer questions, ponder scientific ideas, and discuss with their classmates. Students may participate via video, audio, the chat room, or may just sit back and enjoy! 

*Please note that cnidarians are covered briefly in one week of my Zoology Flex course. This class goes into significantly more detail but a small amount of information will be repeated. Coral are covered thoroughly in my Coral Reef Ecology Flex course, but the information on all other cnidarians is new. Coral are also discussed in my class "Wildlife Tour of the Great Barrier Reef".

Taxonomy can be a complex study and the way we categorize living things is constantly changing. I follow the most widely accepted taxonomic categorizations and sometimes simplify for the level of these learners. Despite the big words used, there is no pre-requisite knowledge to be successful in this class.