20 minutes

The program begins with an in-depth study of Hydra; its feeding methods, stinging cells, reproduction by budding, and its sex life. Obelia illustrates a two - stage cnidarian life cycle, with asexually-reproducing polyps and free swimming sexual medusae, a characteristics shared by most members of Class Hydrazoa. The beautiful jellyfish of Class Scyphozoa pulse or drift through the open sea. Members of Class Anthozoa, sea anemones, hug the intertidal rocks trapping crabs and other small animals. Corals, their warm sea relatives, create one of the oldest and richest ecosystems on earth - the coral reef. (2008)