Aristotle's lantern
Echinoid chewing apparatus
Aristotle's lantern is the complex jaw apparatus of sea urchins—a bony, five-toothed structure used for scraping algae from rocks and other surfaces.
Named because Aristotle described it in his zoological writings, comparing its shape to a lantern.
The term appears in marine biology and invertebrate anatomy: The sea urchin's Aristotle's lantern allows it to graze on hard substrates.
Spiny marine echinoderm
- sand dollarFlat burrowing echinoderm
- testEvaluative examination
- spinesStiff, pointed projections
- tube feetHydraulic locomotion appendages
Enamel-covered chewing structures
- jawsMouth's bony framework
- calcifiedHardened by calcium deposits
- pyramidPointed polyhedral solid
- ossiclesMinute skeletal structures
muscles · ligaments · compass · epiphysis · radial symmetry · calcium carbonate
Feeding on pasture
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- kelpLarge brown marine algae
- corallineOf or like reef-building polyps
- herbivoryPlant consumption by animals
scraping · mastication · boring · excavation · detritus · seaweed · omnivory · rasping
Means by which something operates
- intricacyState of elaborate complexity
- articulationClear vocal expression
- kinematicsStudy of movement itself
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
structure · interlocking · precision · leverage · muscle coordination · opening · closing · protraction
Attentive watching or remark
- ancient GreeceClassical Mediterranean civilization
- natural historyStudy of organisms and environments
- nomenclatureSystem of specialized terms
- philosopherStudent of fundamental questions
sea urchin
Spiny marine echinoderm
- sand dollarFlat burrowing echinoderm
- testEvaluative examination
- spinesStiff, pointed projections
teeth
Enamel-covered chewing structures
ossicles · muscles · ligaments · compass · epiphysis · radial symmetry · calcium carbonate
grazing
Feeding on pasture
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- kelpLarge brown marine algae
- corallineOf or like reef-building polyps
herbivory · scraping · mastication · boring · excavation · detritus · seaweed · omnivory · rasping · substrate
mechanism
Means by which something operates
- intricacyState of elaborate complexity
- articulationClear vocal expression
- kinematicsStudy of movement itself
morphology · structure · interlocking · precision · leverage · muscle coordination · opening · closing · protraction · retraction
observation
Attentive watching or remark
- ancient GreeceClassical Mediterranean civilization
- natural historyStudy of organisms and environments
- nomenclatureSystem of specialized terms
- marine anatomytentacle, tentacles, fin, fins, gill
- echinodermssea urchin, echinoderm, sea star, sea cucumber, brittle star
Aristotle's lanterntube feet
Hydraulic locomotion appendages
lantern, lanterns, Aristotle, jack-o'-lantern, lanternfish, Aristotelian