Lancelet Habitat

The lancelets inhabit soft bottoms ranging from fine sand to coarse shelly sand or gravel in shallow coastal water. Lancelets lie buried beneath the ground, often with their mouths protruding above the surface, allowing them to take in water laden with food. They prefer shallow water and the most popular places to live as a lancelet are warm, sandy, shallow, protected coastal beaches.

Tunicate Habitat

Tunicates are sessile creatures meaning that they do not move. Their preferred habitat is attached to docks, boats, or rocks in protected sub-tidal zones. These marine creatures like shallow water and not too many disturbances.

Reproduction

Lancelets reproduce sexualy. There are two sexes in each species and the sperm and egg are simaltaniously released into the water where fertilization occurs. Tunicates on the other hand, reproduce a little differently. The gametes produce a larva which looks very similar to a tadpole that has a small spherical body with a long tail. These larvae are released from the tunicate and swim freely intil they find the perfect habitat to settle in. Within a few weeks the baby tunicate reaches it's full adult size and is able to begin it's own reproduction.

Feeding

The main structures that are used for feeding are the endostyle with mucous glands, the peripharyngeal grooves and dorsal grooves lined with cilia, the stigmata, and the esophagus. the tunicates excrete a mucus film to capture prey that has been sucked in with the water. This mucus is secreted by the endostyle continuously which is then moved by cilia into the brachial basket, to the dorsal groove, and finally to the esophagus .