An elementary school science teacher decided to liven up the classroom with a saltwater aquarium. Knowing that saltwater aquaria can be quite a hassle, the teacher proceeded stepwise. First, the teacher conditioned the water. Next, the teacher decided to stock the tank with various marine invertebrates, including a polychaete, a siliceous sponge, several bivalves, a shrimp, several sea anemones of different types, a colonial hydra, a few coral species, an ectoproct, a sea star, and several herbivorous gastropod varieties. Lastly, she added some vertebrates-a parrotfish and a clownfish. She arranged for daily feedings of copepods and feeder fish.
-One day, little Tommy (a student in an undersupervised class of 40 fifth graders)got the urge to pet Nemo (the clownfish), who was swimming among the waving petals of a pretty underwater "flower" that had a big hole in the midst of the petals. Tommy giggled upon finding that these petals felt sticky. A few hours later, Tommy was in the nurse's office with nausea and cramps. Microscopic examination of his fingers would probably have revealed the presence of
A) teeth marks.
B) spines.
C) spicules.
D) nematocysts.
E) a radula.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The presence of sticky feeling petals and the fact that Tommy experienced nausea and cramps suggests that he may have come in contact with the nematocysts, stinging cells found in sea anemones. These cells are used for defense and capturing prey and can cause an adverse reaction in humans if they come into contact with the skin.

An Elementary School Science Teacher Decided to Liven Up the Classroom