The ninth issue in the Marine Life series of Jersey features Squirts and Sponges. The stamps have issued on April 7, 2011 and consist of six single stamps, one souvenir sheet.
Sea squirts, or tunicates, belong to the invertebrates family of marine animals.
Tunicates (Sea squirts), are members of the subphylum Tunicata or Urochordata. Now commonly known as sea squirts and sea pork. They are found from the intertidal zone to the deepest depths, permanently fixed to a surface. Some live individually, others live in groups or colonies.
The species of Squirt and Sponges depicted on stamps are :
37p (LSL), Mint - Gooseberry Sea Squirt
42p (LPL), Mint - Yellow Finger Sponge
50p (UK), Mint - Purse Sponge
60p, Mint - Star Squirt
72p, Mint - Light Bulb Sea Squirt
80p, Mint - Red Sea Squirt.
Sponges, also, known as 'Porifera', meaning 'pore-bearing', draw the water in through a complex of pores and canals. Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera. Their bodies consist of jelly-like mesophyll sandwiched between two thin layers of cells.
While all animals have un-specialized cells that can transform into specialized cells, sponges are unique in having some specialized cells that can transform into other types, often migrating between the main cell layers and the mesophyll in the process.
Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory. Instead, most rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes, and the shapes of their bodies are adapted to maximize the efficiency of the water flow. (Resources: Wikipedia)
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