E.ANHS Bulletin 30(1) 
20 
Garten (N.F.). 
Richard. P B (1964) Notes sur la 
biologic du daman des arborcs 
( Dendrohyrax dorsalis) Biologica 
Gahonica 1 73-84 
Scibt. V..H.N. Hoeck. & W. Wicklcr 
(1977) Dendrohyrax validus. True 
1890. in Kenya Saeugetierkunde 
42(H2): 115-118. 
LIFE ALL AROUND US: A NEW SERIES 
BY FLEUR NG’WENO 
CORALS AND JELLYFISH: BUILDERS AND STINGERS 
Cnidarians built the shoreline of 
East Africa: Millions and millions of 
tiny coral animals made the coral reef 
A coral reef protects the shore, 
breaking the force of the waves. The 
living reef is like a garden under the 
sea. full of fishes and other marine life. 
Ancient reefs became our present 
shore, and old coral is used as building 
stones, ami to manufacture cement 
Cnidarians are invertebrates— 
animals without backbones Cnidarians 
include the corals, sea anemones, 
jellyfish and hydroids. They are named 
after their stinging capsules, cnidae, 
and were formerly known as 
Coclcnteratcs. A entdarian animal that 
lives fixed in one place is called a 
polyp, and one that looks and swims 
like a jellyfish is called a medusa. 
Cnidarians look like flowers, but 
they arc animals. Corals and sea 
anemones have a tube- shaped body 
One end of the tube is attached to a 
solid surface. The other end is ringed 
with tentacles, which look like flower 
petals Sea anemones were named after 
a flower, the anemone of Europe. 
Cnidarians live in the sea and a 
few in fresh water. Corals and sea 
anemones usually live near the shore. 
You can see them if you walk out on 
rocky areas of the seacoast at low tide. 
Most corals live in tropical seas, 
around islands and on the eastern 
shores of continents. They need warm, 
clear water and plenty of sunlight Sea 
anemones live on cold or warm 
seashores, all over the world. Most 
jellyfish are animals of the open ocean, 
floating on or near the surface of the 
sea Sometimes a storm washes 
hundreds of jellyfish onto the beach 
Hydras and hydroids are small 
cnidarians that live in fresh or salt 
water. 
Cnidarians are soft-bodied They 
have simple bodies made of two layers 
o! cells Inside the body tube is a mouth 
and digestive system. Some jellyfish 
have large amounts of a substance like 
jelly between the body layers. This 
