iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Tentacle

Enlarge picture
Cuttlefish with 2 tentacles and 8 arms


Tentacles can refer to the elongated flexible organs that are present in some animals, especially invertebrates, and sometimes to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, they are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like other muscular hydrostats.

Tentacles in marine animals

The phylum mollusca includes many species with muscular hydrostats in the form of tentacles and arms (octopuses do not have tentacles: they have arms). Tentacles are longer than arms and usually have suckers at their tips only. Squid and cuttlefish have eight arms like octopuses, and also two tentacles, which is one good way to distinguish squid from octopuses.

The tentacles of the Giant Squid and Colossal Squid are particularly formidable, having powerful suckers and deadly teeth at the ends of the tentacle. The teeth of the Giant Squid are small, "bottle-cap" shaped circular saws, while the tentacles of the Colossal Squid wield two long rows of thick, sharp, finger-length screws of protruding bone.

Cnidarians, which include among others the jellyfishes, are another phylum with many tentaculated specimens. Cnidarians often have huge numbers of cnidocytes on their tentacles. Cnidocytes are cells containing a coiled thread-like structure called nematocyst, which can be fired at potential prey.

Many species of the jellyfishlike ctenophores have two tentacles, while some have none. Their tentacles have adhesive structures called colloblasts or lasso cells. These cells burst open when prey comes in contact with the tentacle; sticky threads released from each of the colloblasts will then capture the food.

Bryozoa (Moss animals) are tiny creatures with a ring of tentacles surrounding the mouth.

Tentacles in amphibians

Some wormlike amphibians have tentacles. The caecilians have two tentacles at their heads, which are probably used for the olfactory sense.

Tentacles in mammals

The star-nosed mole, Condylura cristata, possesses nasal tentacles which are mobile and extremely sensitive, helping the animal to find its way about the burrow and detect prey.

Tentacles in plants

Enlarge picture
Leaf and tentacle movement on Drosera capensis


In carnivorous plants, tentacles refer to the stalked glands of the upper surface of the leaves. On a sundew plant, they are hairlike projections with a drop of nectar-like glue which attract insects. When an insect is captured, the tentacles bend inward and the leaf rolls together as shown in the picture. The tentacles then secrete digestive enzymes to dissolve and engulf the insect.

Tentacles in cultural context

The great differences between humans and the tentacle-bearing mollusca have led to tentacles being associated with inhumanity and disgust in legend and fiction. For examples, see:

In games

External links

Invertebrate is an English word that describes any animal without a spinal column. The group includes 97% of all animal species — all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum Vertebrata (fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals).
..... Click the link for more information.
Carnivorous plants (sometimes called insectivorous plants) are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients (but not energy) from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, most focusing on insects and other arthropods.
..... Click the link for more information.
A muscular hydrostat is a biological structure found in animals. It is used to manipulate items (including food) or to move its host about and consists mainly of muscles with no skeletal support.
..... Click the link for more information.
Mollusca
Linnaeus, 1758

Classes

Caudofoveata
Aplacophora
Polyplacophora
Monoplacophora
Bivalvia
Scaphopoda
Gastropoda
Cephalopoda
† Rostroconchia
† Helcionelloida
† ?Bellerophontida
The molluscs
..... Click the link for more information.
A muscular hydrostat is a biological structure found in animals. It is used to manipulate items (including food) or to move its host about and consists mainly of muscles with no skeletal support.
..... Click the link for more information.
Octopoda
Leach, 1818

Suborders

†Pohlsepia (incertae sedis)
†Proteroctopus (incertae sedis)
†Palaeoctopus (incertae sedis)
Cirrina
Incirrina
Synonyms

..... Click the link for more information.
For other uses, see Squid (disambiguation).


Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUID) are very sensitive magnetometers used to measure extremely small magnetic fields, based on superconducting loops
..... Click the link for more information.
Sepiida
Zittel, 1895

Suborders and Families
  • †Vasseuriina
  • †Vasseuriidae
  • †Belosepiellidae
  • Sepiina

..... Click the link for more information.
Architeuthidae
Pfeffer, 1900

Genus: Architeuthis
Steenstrup in Harting, 1860

Species
  • Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857
  • ?Architeuthis hartingii Verrill, 1875
  • ?

..... Click the link for more information.

..... Click the link for more information.
Teeth (singular, tooth) are structures found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates that are used to tear, scrape, and chew food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or defense. The roots of teeth are covered by gums.
..... Click the link for more information.
Circular may refer to:
  • Circle, or something in the shape of a circle
  • Flyer (pamphlet), a single page leaflet advertising a nightclub, event, service, or other activity
  • Circular reasoning, also known as Begging the question.

..... Click the link for more information.
Cnidaria
Hatschek, 1888

Subphylum/Classes[1]

Anthozoa — corals and sea anemones
Medusozoa:[2]
:Cubozoa — sea wasps or box jellyfish

..... Click the link for more information.
Scyphozoa
Goette, 1887

Orders

Stauromedusae
Coronatae
Semaeostomeae
Rhizostomae
Jellyfish are marine invertebrates belonging to the Class Scyphozoa within the Phylum Cnidaria. They can be found in every ocean in the world.
..... Click the link for more information.
partially discharged nematocyst.]] A cnidocyte, cnidoblast or nematocyte, is a type of venomous cell unique to the phylum Cnidaria (corals, sea anemones, hydrae, jellyfish etc.).
..... Click the link for more information.
Ctenophora
Eschscholtz, 1829

Classes

Tentaculata
Nuda

The phylum Ctenophora, commonly known as Comb Jellies, is a phylum classically grouped with Cnidaria in the Coelenterata infrakingdom.
..... Click the link for more information.
Colloblasts are a cell type of ctenophores. They are widespread in the tentacles of these animals and are used to capture prey. On contact, vesicles containing a gluey substance rupture, and thus entangle the prey animal in the tentilla, the fine threads attached to the tentacle.
..... Click the link for more information.
Bryozoa

Classes
Stenolaemata
Gymnolaemata
Phylactolaemata

Bryozoans are tiny colonial animals that generally build stony skeletons of calcium carbonate, superficially similar to coral.
..... Click the link for more information.
Amphibia
Linnaeus, 1758

Subclasses and Orders

   Order Temnospondyli - extinct
Subclass Lepospondyli - extinct
Subclass Lissamphibia
   Order Anura
   Order Caudata
..... Click the link for more information.
Apoda redirects here. For the moth genus, see Apoda (moth).


Caecilians
Fossil range: Jurassic - Recent

"Caecilian"


Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
..... Click the link for more information.
Olfaction (also known as olfactics) refers to the sense of smell. This sense is mediated by specialized sensory cells of the nasal cavity of vertbrates, and, by analogy, sensory cells of the antennae of invertebrates.
..... Click the link for more information.
Condylurini
Gill, 1875

Genus: Condylura
Illiger, 1811

Species: C. cristata

Binomial name
Condylura cristata
..... Click the link for more information.
Carnivorous plants (sometimes called insectivorous plants) are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients (but not energy) from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, most focusing on insects and other arthropods.
..... Click the link for more information.
leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat (laminar) and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast (chlorenchyma tissue, a type of parenchyma) to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate
..... Click the link for more information.
Drosera
L.

Species

See separate list.
The Sundews (Drosera) comprise one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with over 170 species.
..... Click the link for more information.
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze (i.e. accelerate) chemical reactions.[1] In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products.
..... Click the link for more information.
Tentacle rape is a concept found in some horror hentai titles, where various tentacled creatures (usually fictional monsters) rape or otherwise penetrate women (or, less commonly, men).
..... Click the link for more information.
Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (DoTT) is a graphical adventure game, originally released in 1993, and published by LucasArts. It is the eighth game to use the SCUMM engine.
..... Click the link for more information.
Cthulhu is a fictional being created by horror author H. P. Lovecraft, and is one of Lovecraft's Great Old Ones.[1] It is often cited for the extreme descriptions given of its appearance, size, and the abject terror that it invokes.
..... Click the link for more information.
Kraken ( kra’ ken, IPA: /ˈkrɑːkɛn/) are legendary sea monsters of gargantuan size, said to have dwelled off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter