Animal Kingdom

Flatworm Phylum: The tapeworm

There are over 15,000 species of these very simple animals. The one in the drawing below, the tapeworm, can reach a length of 30 meters but other species are almost microscopic. The tapeworm lives inside the intestines of other animals. Such an organism which depends on another for food and shelter is called a parasite.

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© Paul Billiet, Shirley Burchill, Alan Damon and Deborah James 2009