tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post7728065610725597556..comments2024-03-27T10:06:07.100-07:00Comments on The Echinoblog: The Helicoplacoidea: Bizarr-O Morphology, Living in Slime & Death by DirtChrisMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11784970666468925633noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post-34392780050131448562010-05-04T00:17:48.446-07:002010-05-04T00:17:48.446-07:00The helicoplacoidea's ability to expand and sh...The helicoplacoidea's ability to expand and shrink fits the mold of a precurser ability to the sea cucumber to do the same thing but even more dramatically isn't it?<br /><br />Perhaps rather than going extinct the helico... evolved into today's wide variety of sea cucumbers in response to the gradual change in the chemistry of the oceans coupled with the change in the bottom sediments you described.<br /><br />One way to find a connection, if its there, would be to scale up in size the rudimentary sclerietes embedded in the skin of many cucumbers to the point that they form a complete exoskeleton and check to see if it looks like a helico...<br /><br />The derived evolved traits that might tie a cuke to a helico could be right in front for all to see, but seeing them takes a little bit of imagining perhaps?<br /><br />Also like a cuke, it's echinoderm symmetry could have been expressed internally, and the external appearance a result of the adaption to its environment.Johnn Moraleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18410754869779549100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3433304117507034540.post-15841073683107403482008-06-12T07:39:00.000-07:002008-06-12T07:39:00.000-07:00Thats just weird! You EchinoFREAKS! Your detailed ...Thats just weird! You EchinoFREAKS! Your detailed illustrations made all the difference in understanding these ... things.Kevin Zelniohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14192385384151149566noreply@blogger.com