Bryozoans

A colonial animal of the Phylum Bryozoa that consist of numerous zooids, small box-like units about 1 mm long. They generally have a chitinous or calcareous covering that adds structural support, and feed by extending tentacles from an orifice in the upper sidewall. They may occur in many growth forms, including as flat encrusting, branched, fenestrate, soft dendroid and fouling communities.