Fenestrata
Extinct order of moss animals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fenestrata is an extinct order of bryozoan, dating from the Upper Arenig.[1] Most fenestrate bryozoans formed net-like colonies, often in funnel- or fan-shaped forms, with a single layer of zooids facing one direction.[2] The colony shape served as a filter-feeding apparatus that water currents flowed through, with autozooecial apertures only on the side of the colony facing into the current.[3] This colony structure was vulnerable to predators, so some fenestrate bryozoans produced skeletal superstructures, likely to strengthen or protect the colony, and others had protective spines surrounding their autozooecial apertures.
| Fenestrata Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Bryozoa |
| Class: | Stenolaemata |
| Order: | †Fenestrata |
Some sources consider Fenestrata to be a synonym of Fenestrida,[4] while others treat them as separate orders.[5]
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