The coelenterata (commonly known as corals) are abundant in the fossils in greater Cincinnati area rocks. Nearly all corals are colonial organisms, with many individual animals (polyps) living within a single large calcium carbonate skeleton. In contrast, the "horn corals" or "cup corals" that are commonly found in ancient rocks such as those in southwestern Ohio were solitary corals with a thick calcium carbonate skeleton.

hydras; polyps; jellyfishes; sea anemones; corals

An aquatic animal of the Phylum Coelenterata which is characterized by a central mouth usually surrounded by tentacles bearing stinging cells, and no anus; includes sea anemones, corals, and jellyfish.

phylum, encompassing corals, sea anemones, jelly fish, colonial hydroids, and ctenophores (comb jellies). It is more common to split the corals, sea anemones, jelly fish, and colonial hydroids into the phylum Cnidaria. Cratinaster: Cratinaster mccarteri is the famous starfish species on the large Cretaceous slab currently on display at TMM. You may know it better as Austinaster mccarteri Adkins; unfortunately, this species had already been described and assigned a name before Adkins named his specimen, and so this 'local' name is incorrect! ( Starfish and sea urchins)

Coelenterata is an obsolete yet common term encompassing two animal phyla, the Ctenophora (comb jellies) and the Cnidaria (coral animals, true jellies, sea anemones, sea pens, and their allies). The taxon name comes from the Greek "koilos" ("hollow"), referring to the hollow body cavity common to these two phyla. They have very simple tissue organisation, with only two layers of cells, external and internal.