planaria
Cross-eyed looking worm
Planaria are small freshwater flatworms known for their remarkable ability to regenerate.
Cut one in half and both pieces grow into complete worms; cut it into dozens of pieces and you get dozens of worms.
They have a distinctive arrow-shaped head with eyespots that give them a cross-eyed appearance.
Planaria are common in biology classrooms for studying regeneration and basic animal behavior.
Animal sans backbone
- bilateralInvolving two parties
- soft-bodiedLacking internal skeleton
- eyespotsSimple light-detecting organs
- auriclesEar-shaped body parts
pharynx · ciliated · mucus · gliding · hermaphrodite · cocoon · free-living
Undifferentiated cells with regenerative potential
- pluripotentAble to become many cell types
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
- bisectionDivision into two equal parts
- decapitationSevering head from body
regrowth · polarity · anterior · posterior · wound healing · body plan · immortality
Instrument for viewing minute objects
- petri dishLidded laboratory culture container
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
- dissectionAnatomical cutting and examination
- amputationSurgical limb removal
observation · transgenic · neuroscience · toxicology · bioassay · protocol · laboratory
invertebrate
Animal sans backbone
- bilateralInvolving two parties
- soft-bodiedLacking internal skeleton
- eyespotsSimple light-detecting organs
auricles · pharynx · ciliated · mucus · gliding · hermaphrodite · cocoon · free-living
stem cells
Undifferentiated cells with regenerative potential
- pluripotentAble to become many cell types
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
- bisectionDivision into two equal parts
decapitation · regrowth · polarity · anterior · posterior · wound healing · body plan · immortality
microscope
Instrument for viewing minute objects
- petri dishLidded laboratory culture container
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
- dissectionAnatomical cutting and examination
amputation · observation · transgenic · neuroscience · toxicology · bioassay · protocol · laboratory
pond
Small still body
substrate · detritus · underside · rocks · leaf litter · benthic · habitat · temperate · tropical · limnology
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- pond lifetadpoles, fish, frog, frogs, algae
- wormsearthworm, earthworms, nightcrawler, roundworms, flatworms
- freshwater invertebratescrayfish, freshwater snail, leech, dragonfly nymph, freshwater shrimp
- Lab organismslab rat, lab mouse, white rat, white mouse, albino rat
- microorganismsamoeba, paramecium, amoebae, euglena, amoebas
planariaearthworm
Segmented soil-dwelling invertebrate
annelid · centipede · leech · millipede · polychaete
planariamammal
Warm-blooded, milk-producing animal
human · vertebrate · bird · cephalopod · octopus