Radial Symmetry

• A radially symmetrical animal can be cut in more than one vertical plane through its centre to obtain two mirror images
• These animals have a definitive aboral ('away from the mouth') and oral side but no left no right side
• Radially symmetrical animals are usually sessile or free-floating
• Sessile: Sedentary and attached to a substrate
• Extended nerve that makes it possible to explore immediate environment, obtain food, detect enemies
• A disadvantage of radial symmetry is that locomotion is slow and inefficient